Election Exhaustion Has Met Its Match: A Cocktail to Cure “Politikerleden”

#DanzkaUSA #PolitikerledenUSA #DesignedToChill

Whether Republican, Democrat, Independent, Undecided or Unrepresented, the one thing that every American seems to agree on is, “we can’t wait for the election to be over.” Leave it to Denmark (also rumored to be the happiest nation in the world) to have actually coined a word for election exhaustion or disgust… Politikerleden.

With this in mind, the makers of DANZKA Vodka – (Danish by design) have created a cocktail designed to relieve the political-weary. Fresh blackberries add a healthy dose of antioxidants and the lavender is widely regarded to aid in relaxation and lowering blood pressure. 

DANZKA Vodka is made in the traditional Scandinavian Distillation process. The whole grain is crushed and heated in water to break down the starch. Yeast is added, setting off a fermentation process that transforms the starch parts of the grain into alcohol and carbon dioxide – the latter being used in the soft drinks industry. After fermentation, the spirit for DANZKA Vodka passes through a continuous six-column distillation process. This process allows us to have full control of the distillation at every stage and to ensure that unwanted impurities are removed. At the same time, it is possible to identify aromas that have a positive effect on product quality and selectively retain these. The continuous distillation process, of which we are very proud, is called “Scandinavian style of Vodka distillation”, and enables us to obtain the desired purity, smoothness and well-balanced taste for DANZKA Vodka.

Mix up a batch and cheers to November 9th. 

The Politikerleden

Ingredients:

• 6 lemons
• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup fresh blackberries
• 2 oz DANZKA Original Vodka
• 1 sprig fresh lavender

Instructions:

With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from four lemons and squeeze enough juice from lemons to make one cup. In a saucepan, boil two cups of water with sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add zest, lemon juice and remaining water and cool. In a food processor or blender, puree blackberries and stir into lemon mixture. Pour liquid through a sieve into a container. (Blackberry lemonade will keep refrigerated for several days.)

In a rocks glass filled with ice, add 2 oz. of DANZKA Original Vodka, top with 3 oz. of blackberry lemonade. Garnish with a lavender sprig.

Paul Gauguin Cruises Offers A Two-Week Sale On Select 2016 And 2017 Tahiti, French Polynesia, And South Pacific Voyages

Paul Gauguin Cruises (www.pgcruises.com), operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, announces a two-week sale on select 2016 and 2017 Tahiti, French Polynesia, and South Pacific voyages with new cruise-only fares.

Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering savings of up to $4,000* per person off select luxury voyages aboard The Gauguin when booked between October 31 and November 12, 2016. On board, guests will enjoy the highest standards of luxury, quality, and all-inclusive value sailing to Polynesian destinations that are the cruise line’s specialty.

Bora Bora, Society Islands

On The Gauguin, nearly 70% of the ship’s suites and staterooms offer balconies. Dining experiences include L’Etoile, which showcases an array of culinary creations expertly prepared each evening. The ship’s other two dining venues, La Veranda and Le Grill, serve breakfast and lunch. At night, signature dishes from celebrity chef Jean-Pierre Vigato, world-renowned Chef Propriétaire of the Michelin-rated Restaurant Apicius in Paris, are offered in La Veranda, and Polynesian specialties are served poolside at Le Grill.

m/s Paul Gauguin 2

Les Gauguines and Les Gauguins—a troupe of Tahitian entertainers—provide enriching experiences of the destinations throughout each voyage. The Gauguin features expert lecturers on each voyage and special guests on select sailings conducting presentations on topics ranging from the history of the South Pacific to conservation, culture, marine life, and the wonders of coral reefs. A luxurious spa, fitness center, watersports marina, and expansive outdoor decks with chaise lounges and a pool are also available aboard The Gauguin.

Now It Can Be Told: “Black Fashion Designers” At The Museum at FIT

Without dwelling too deeply on the root cause (for the moment), it’s very rare to find black fashion designers represented in a great many of the recent costume exhibitions at museums great and small across the United States. At this moment, if you want to see a decent and wide-ranging look at black fashion designers, you would have to visit the recently opened National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C., where designs from Tracy Reese,  other black fashion designers and other creative men and women are on permanent display. The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (The Museum at FIT, Seventh Avenue at 27 Street, New York City 10001-5992), since 1975, has continuously work to create exhibitions, programs, and publications that are both entertaining and educational. Black Fashion Designer is eye-opening, entertaining and above all else, quite educational. It’s a good start.

Mimi Plange, dress, Spring 2013, USA, Gift of Mimi Plange, 2016.49.1

Black Fashion Designers, opening December 6, 2016 (Fashion & Textile History Gallery, December 6 – May 16, 2017) at The Museum at FIT, examines the significant, but often unrecognized, impact that designers of African descent have had on fashion. The exhibition features approximately 75 fashions by more than 60 designers. Although there have been exhibitions (few and far between) on individual black designers, this is the first major exhibition in many years that highlights the global history of black fashion designers from the 1950s to the present. All of the objects on display are part of the permanent collection of The Museum at FIT.

Patrick Kelly, dress, Fall/Winter 1986, France, Museum purchase, 2016.48.1

Black Fashion Designers opens with a fall 1986 evening dress by Patrick Kelly, embellished with vintage buttons. Buttons were a recurring motif for Kelly, whose grandmother would mend the family’s clothing. Alongside it is a fall 2012 ensemble by Nigerian-born, British designer Duro Olowu, whose knowledge of international textiles and affinity for mixing prints is evident in an intricate lace cape.

The introductory section of the exhibition also includes a beautiful wedding gown by society dressmaker Ann Lowe, who is best known for designing Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding dress. Lawrence Steele, a Milan-based African-American designer, is represented by a stunning black evening dress accented with Swarovski crystals. Lagos-based designer Amaka Osakwe was inspired by the rich history of Nigerian story-telling when creating her contemporary, cut-fringe dress. Another highlight is Laura Smalls’s red-and-white floral print dress—famously worn by First Lady Michelle Obama when she sang with rapper Missy Elliot on James Corden’s carpool karaoke.

Ann Lowe, wedding dress, 1968, USA, Gift of Judith A. Tabler, 2009.70.2

Black Fashion Designers is organized into eight themes, beginning with “Breaking Into the Industry,” which examines black designers working in New York. During the 1950s and early 1960s, Arthur McGee and Wesley Tann challenged discrimination in the industry. Other designers followed in their footsteps, playing a major role in building New York as a fashion capital. During the 1970s and 1980s, for example, Willi Smith built a large, international fashion house from his quirky twists on classic sportswear, seen in a multicolored, striped ensemble. Today, Tracy Reese is an indispensable mainstay. Her multicolored striped gown shows her feminine and elegant style.

Lawrence Steele, dress, Spring 2002, Italy, Gift of Lawrence Steele, 2016.62.1

The next theme, “The Rise of the Black Designer,” focuses on the period from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, when disco music and dance clubs inspired fashion. Stephen Burrows’s gold evening pajamas and Scott Barrie’s black-and-red silk jersey wrap dress, defined the era’s glamorous, body-conscious style. The fashion and mainstream press of the 1970s celebrated black designers such as Burrows and Barrie, in contrast to today, when only one percent of the designers shown on VogueRunway.com are black.

Macy’s, Inc. Has Sold Five Stores to General Growth Properties

Macy’s, Inc. yesterday announced it has sold five stores to General Growth Properties as part of its previously-announced plan to drive profitable growth by reallocating investments to its highest-growth-potential stores and digital businesses, and to capitalize on opportunities within the company’s real estate portfolio.

Four of the stores were sold in the third quarter and one – the Greenwood Mall store – was sold earlier in the year. The stores are:

Carolina Place in Pineville, NC (151,000 square feet; opened in 1993; 72 associates);

Oakwood Mall in Eau Claire, WI (104,000 square feet; opened in 1991; 61 associates);

Quail Springs Mall in Oklahoma City, OK (146,000 square feet; opened in 1986; no associates as store was closed in spring 2016);

Tysons Galleria in McLean, VA (265,000 square feet; opened in 1988; 125 associates);

Greenwood Mall in Bowling Green, KY (124,000 square feet; opened in 1980; 61 associates).

Macy’s will continue to operate the Tysons Galleria store on a lease from General Growth Properties. Macy’s also continues to operate another store in McLean, VA, at the nearby Tysons Corner Center. The Quail Springs Mall store closed in spring 2016. The other three stores – Carolina Place, Greenwood Mall and Oakwood Mall – will continue operations through the holiday season and will be closed in spring 2017.

The company is committed to treating associates affected by store closings with respect and openness. Associates displaced by store closings may be offered positions in nearby stores where possible. Eligible full-time and part-time associates who are laid off due to the store closings will be offered severance benefits.

The purchase price of the four stores was $46 million. Macy’s expects to realize a gain of $32 million from the sales in the third quarter of fiscal year 2016.

Macy’s, Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation’s premier retailers, with fiscal 2015 sales of $27.079 billion. The company operates about 880 stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdale’s Outlet, Macy’s Backstage and Bluemercury, as well as the macys.com, bloomingdales.com and bluemercury.com websites. Bloomingdale’s in Dubai is operated by Al Tayer Group LLC under a license agreement.