National Air and Space Museum 2020 Trophy Awarded to Charles Elachi and the Hubble Space Telescope Team

Museum Renames Prestigious Award to Honor Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins

Honoring Astronaut Michael Collins’ legacy in aviation and space, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum is renaming its trophy for the Apollo 11 command module pilot. The recognition is awarded annually for Lifetime and Current Achievements. The 2020 recipients are Charles Elachi for Lifetime Achievement and the Hubble Space Telescope Team for Current Achievement. The recipients will receive their awards March 26 at a ceremony at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The National Air and Space Museum Trophy event is made possible through the support of Atlas Air Worldwide, BAE Systems Inc., Blue Origin, Booz Allen Hamilton, The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Jacobs, Leidos, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, National Business Aviation Association, Pratt & Whitney, Seabury Capital, Sierra Nevada Corp. and Thales.

Established in 1985, the award recognizes outstanding achievements in the fields of aerospace science and technology and their history. Trophy winners receive a miniature version of “The Web of Space,” a sculpture by artist John Safer. The renaming of the trophy recognizes Collins’ contributions to aerospace and his service to the museum as director during a critical time in its evolution.

“The Web of Space” sculpture by John Safer. A miniature version of this sculpture is given to the National Air and Space Museum’s Michael Collins Trophy winners every year.

“I am deeply honored to have been made a part of the museum’s legacy recognizing the best in the aerospace industry,” said Michael Collins. “The National Air and Space Museum is a testament to thousands who helped craft it into the wonder it is today. I hope the award inspires future generations to keep reaching outward bound.”

2020 Michael Collins Trophy Recipients

Elachi will receive the 2020 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement honoring his distinguished career in the fields of remote sensing, planetary science and spaceflight-program management. After pioneering techniques in radar remote sensing for surface, ocean and atmospheric phenomena, he executed these techniques in leadership roles in various missions. He was the director for space and Earth sciences for almost 20 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), and the director of JPL for 15. Under his leadership, JPL achieved many successful planetary, earth and astronomy missions including several Mars lander, rover and orbiter missions, pioneering missions to outer planets, such as the Cassini mission to Saturn, and the Spitzer and Kepler Space Telescopes. The breadth of his expertise allowed synergy between the technical aspects of radar remote sensing and the interpretation of the acquired science data, which is now a standard approach in Earth and planetary science. Through this lifetime of success, he has also served as a significant mentor to many in industry and academia.

Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum logo

As the Hubble Space Telescope celebrates its 30th year in operation, the team behind Hubble will receive the 2020 Collins Trophy for Current Achievement. Hubble has changed humans’ fundamental understanding of the universe, having taken over 1.4 million observations and provided data that astronomers have used to write more than 17,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications on a broad range of topics. Through the efforts of the Hubble team since 2018, the observatory has continued to produce science unachievable with any other instrument, including studies of the first possible moon orbiting a planet outside the solar system, imaging the first known interstellar object to visit the solar system and finding water vapor on an extrasolar planet in the habitable zone. System engineers in Hubble’s control center and science operations facility have continued to find creative ways to operate the 30-year-old spacecraft to make this revolutionary science possible and ensuring its capabilities will continue for years to come.

The National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is located at 655 Jefferson Dr. The museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is located in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington Dulles International Airport. Both facilities are open daily from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free, but there is a $15 fee for parking before 4 p.m. at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

More information about the Michael Collins Trophy and a complete list of past winners are available at https://airandspace.si.edu/trophy-award.

The Mack Lecture Series Returns to the Walker Art Center this April

Mack Lecture Series
April 8–29, 7 pm$15 ($12 Walker members, students, and seniors)Walker Cinema

Hear directly from explorers of our culture and contemporary moment during the Mack Lecture Series. Throughout the month of April, artists, writers, and other great thinkers at the forefront of diverse fields share their vision on topics ranging from artificial intelligence in performance art to gender politics and gonzo journalism.

Annie Dorsen’s Hello Hi There, 2010 Photo: W. Silveri/Steirischer Herbst

Annie Dorsen and Catherine Havasi with Simon Adler
April 8, 7 pm

Simon Adler, 2018. Photo courtesy of Simon Adler.

Catherine Havasi, 2019. Photo courtesy of Catherine Havasi.

Annie Dorsen, 2019. Courtesy of John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Writer-director Annie Dorsen tries “to make perceptible how ideas change over time: where they come from, how they influence and are influenced by politics and culture, and how they take root in the body, physically and emotionally.” For this conversation, she explores the intersection of algorithms and live performance with artificial intelligence researcher and computational linguist Catherine Havasi, moderated by Simon Adler, a producer for WNYC’s Radiolab.

Annie Dorsen’s performance work Yesterday Tomorrow, takes place in the Walker’s McGuire Theater March 27–28.

JD Samson
April 15, 7 pm

JD Samson, 2019. Courtesy of the Artist

Genderqueer political activist, visual artist, and musician JD Samson is perhaps best known as leader of the band MEN and one-third of the electronic-feminist-punk band Le Tigre. As a self-defined “gender outlaw,” she will investigate the precarious masculinity of the butch/masculine-of-center body, play with traditional concepts of ownership and destruction, and break down the charged heteronormative history of queer sex dynamics.

Walker Art Center Announces Extensive 2020–2021 Exhibition Schedule Highlights

The Walker Arts Center continues to flesh out what is considerably a very dynamic exhibition schedule for the next two years. Additions to the Walker Art Center’s 2020–2021 exhibition schedule include two new solo exhibitions by female artists, Faye Driscoll: Thank You for Coming (February 27–June 14, 2020) and Candice Lin (April 17–August 29, 2021) as well as a Walker collection show of women artists, Don’t let this be easy (July 16–March 14, 2021). For her first solo museum exhibition, Faye Driscoll incorporates a guided audio soundtrack, moving image works, and props to look back across the entirety of her trilogy of performances Thank You For Coming—Attendance (2014), Play (2016), and Space (2019)—works that were presented and co-commissioned by the Walker and subsequently toured around the world over the past six years. Another newly added exhibition, Candice Lin, is the first US museum solo show by the artist, co-organized by the Walker Art Center and the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts (CCVA). Lin is creating a site-specific installation that responds to the space of the gallery at each institution, allowing the shape of the work to evolve over the course of its presentation.

The Walker-organized exhibition Don’t let this be easy highlights the diverse and experimental practices of women artists spanning some 50 years through a selection of paintings, sculptures, moving image works, artists’ books, and materials from the archives.

The initiative is presented in conjunction with the Feminist Art Coalition (FAC), a nationwide effort involving more than 60 museums committed to social justice and structural change.

Other upcoming exhibitions include An Art Of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018 (February 16–September 20, 2020), a survey of six decades of Johns’ work in printmaking drawn from the Walker’s complete collection of the artists’ prints including intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting, lead relief, and blind embossing; The Paradox of Stillness: Art, Object, and Performance (formerly titiled Still and Yet) (April 18–July 26, 2020), is an exhibition that rethinks the history of performance featuring artists whose works include performative elements but also embrace acts, objects, and gestures that refer more to the inert qualities of traditional painting or sculpture than to true staged action.

Additional exhibitions include Michaela Eichwald’s (June 13–November 8, 2020) first US solo museum presentation, bringing together painting, sculpture, and collage from across the past 10 years of her practice; Designs for Different Futures (September 12, 2020 – January 3, 2021)—a collaborative group show co-organized by the Walker Art Center, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago—brings together about 80 dynamic works that address the challenges and opportunities that humans may encounter in the years, decades, and centuries to come; Rayyane Tabet (December 10, 2020– April 18, 2021), a solo show by the Beirut-based multidisciplinary artist featuring a new installation for the Walker that begins with a time capsule discovered on the site of what was once an IBM manufacturing facility in Rochester, Minnesota.

OPENING EXHIBITIONS

• AN ART OF CHANGES: JASPER JOHNS PRINTS, 1960–2018, February 16–September 20, 2020
• FAYE DRISCOLL: THANK YOU FOR COMING, February 27–June 14, 2020
• THE PARADOX OF STILLNESS: ART, OBJECT, AND PERFORMANCE, April 18–July 26, 2020
• MICHAELA EICHWALD, June 4–November 8. 2020
• DON’T LET THIS BE EASY, July 16–March 14, 2021
• DESIGNS FOR DIFFERENT FUTURES, September 12–January 3, 2021
• RAYYANE TABET, December 10–April 18, 2021
• JULIE MEHRETU, March 14, 2021–July 11, 2021
• CANDICE LIN, April 17, 2021–August 29, 2021

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

• THE EXPRESSIONIST FIGURE: 100 YEARS OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY DRAWING, November 17, 2019–April 19, 2020
• CARISSA RODRIGUEZ: THE MAID, October 3, 2019–February 2, 2020
• FIVE WAYS IN: THEMES FROM THE COLLECTION, February 14, 2019–October 3, 2021
• ELIZABETH PRICE, December 8, 2018–March 1, 2020
• I AM YOU, YOU ARE TOO, September 7, 2017–March 1, 2020

Photo Credit: Flags I, 1973. Screenprint on paper, 27 3/8 x 35 ½ in. ed. 3/65. Collection Walker Art Center, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. © Jasper Johns/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

An Art Of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018, February 16–September 20, 2020. Gallery B/Target

When Jasper Johns’s paintings of flags and targets debuted in 1958, they brought him instant acclaim and established him as a critical link between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. In the ensuing 60 years, Johns (US, b. 1930) has continued to astonish viewers with the beauty and complexity of his paintings, drawings, sculpture, and prints. Today, he is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest American artists.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Figure 7 from the Color Numeral Series Date: 1969 Medium: lithograph on paper Accession number: 1985.319 Credit Line: Gift of Kenneth Tyler, 1985. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Target Date: 1960 Medium: lithograph on paper Accession number: 1988.181 Credit Line: Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

In celebration of the artist’s 90th birthday, An Art of Changes surveys six decades of Johns’s work in printmaking, highlighting his experiments with familiar, abstract, and personal imagery that play with memory and visual perception in endlessly original ways. The exhibition features some 90 works in intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting, and lead relief—all drawn from the Walker’s comprehensive collection of the artist’s prints.

Target, 1974
Screenprint on paper
35 1/8 x 27 3/8 inches
Collection Walker Art Center, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988
© Jasper Johns/VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Untitled Date: 2000 Medium: linocut on paper Accession number: 2001.197 Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 2001. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Untitled Date: 2016 Medium: Linoleum-cut on paper Accession number: 2017.6 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of the artist, 2017. Photo by Gene Pittman for Walker Art Center.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Fragment of a Letter Date: 2010 Medium: intaglio on paper Accession number: 2011.59.1-.2 Credit Line: Gift of the artist, 2011. Repro Rights: VAGA; Art copyright Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Between the Clock and the Bed Date: 1989 Medium: Lithograph on paper Accession number: 1991.155 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stacy Roback, 1991. Repro Rights: VAGA, Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY. Photo by Gene Pittman for Walker Art Center.

Organized in four thematic sections, the show follows Johns through the years as he revises and recycles key motifs over time, including the American flag, numerals, and the English alphabet, which he describes as “things the mind already knows.” Some works explore artists’ tools, materials, and techniques. Others explore signature aspects of the artist’s distinctive mark-making, including flagstones and hatch marks, while later pieces teem with autobiographical imagery. To underscore Johns’s fascination with the changes that occur when an image is reworked in another medium, the prints will be augmented by a small selection of paintings and sculptures.

Artist Jasper Johns at work in his studio

Artist: Jasper Johns Title: Savarin Date: 1977 Medium: Lithograph on paper Accession number: 1988.276 Credit Line: Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Gift of Judy and Kenneth Dayton, 1988. Repro Rights: VAGA, Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Curator: Joan Rothfuss, guest curator, Visual Arts.

• Exhibition Tour
  Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh: October 12, 2019–January 20, 2020
  Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: February 16–September 20, 2020
  Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan: October 24, 2020–January 24, 2021
  Tampa Art Museum, Florida: April 28–September 6, 2021

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year 2020: PANTONE® 19-4052 Classic Blue

A Reassuring Presence Instilling Calm, Confidence, And Connection

Tapping into sight, sound, smell, taste, and texture Pantone makes PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue the first multi-sensory Color of the Year in the company’s history.

Pantone, provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions, today announced PANTONE 19-4052, Classic Blue, as the Pantone® Color of the Year for 2020; a timeless and enduring hue elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation from which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.

Pantone Reveals Color of the Year 2020: PANTONE® 19-4052 Classic Blue

“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith. It is this kind of constancy and confidence that is expressed by PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, a solid and dependable blue hue we can always rely on,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Imbued with a deep resonance, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue provides an anchoring foundation. A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”

The Color of the Year selection process requires thoughtful consideration and trend analysis. To arrive at the selection each year, Pantone’s color experts at the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for new color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films in production, traveling art collections and new artists, fashion, all areas of design, popular travel destinations, as well as new lifestyles, playstyles, and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from new technologies, materials, textures, and effects that impact color, relevant social media platforms and even up-coming sporting events that capture worldwide attention. For 21 years, Pantone’s Color of the Year has influenced product development and purchasing decisions in multiple industries, including fashion, home furnishings, and industrial design, as well as product packaging and graphic design. Past selections for Color of the Year include:

• PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral (2019)
• PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet (2018)
• PANTONE 15-0343 Greenery (2017)
• PANTONE 15-3919 Serenity and PANTONE 13-1520 Rose Quartz (2016)
• PANTONE 18-1438 Marsala (2015)
• PANTONE 18-3224 Radiant Orchid (2014)
• PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald (2013)
• PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango (2012)
• PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle (2011)
• PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise (2010)
• PANTONE 14-0848 Mimosa (2009)
• PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris (2008)
• PANTONE 19-1557 Chili Pepper (2007)
• PANTONE 13-1106 Sand Dollar (2006)
• PANTONE 15-5217 Blue Turquoise (2005)
• PANTONE 17-1456 Tigerlily (2004)
• PANTONE 14-4811 Aqua Sky (2003)
• PANTONE 19-1664 True Red (2002)
• PANTONE 17-2031 Fuchsia Rose (2001)
• PANTONE 15-4020 Cerulean (2000)

The color selected as the Pantone Color of the Year 2020 was taken from the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System, the most widely used and recognized color standards system for fashion, textile, home, and interior design.

Imprinted in our psyches as a restful color, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue brings a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit, offering refuge. Aiding concentration and bringing laser-like clarity, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue re-centers our thoughts. A reflective blue tone, Classic Blue fosters resilience.

As technology continues to race ahead of the human ability to process it all, it is easy to understand why we gravitate to colors that are honest and offer the promise of protection. Non-aggressive and easily relatable, the trusted PANTONE 19-4052, Classic Blue lends itself to relaxed interaction. Associated with the return of another day, this universal favorite is comfortably embraced.

“The Pantone Color of the Year highlights the relationship between trends in color and what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time, a color that reflects what individuals feel they need that color can hope to answer.” added Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute. “As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions, designers and brands should feel inspired to use color to engage and connect. The Pantone Color of the Year selection provides strategic direction for the world of trend and design, reflecting the Pantone Color Institute’s year-round work doing the same for designers and brands.”

To fully bring to life the true meaning of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, Pantone has translated PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue into a multi-sensory experience. By extending the sensory reach of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, Pantone is hoping to reach a greater diversity of people to provide everyone with an opportunity to engage with the Color of the Year 2020 in their own unique way.

“As we all head into a new era, we wanted to challenge ourselves to find inspiration from new sources that not only evolve our Color of the Year platform, but also help our global audiences achieve richer and more rewarding color experiences,” added Pressman. “This desire, combined with the emotional properties of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue, motivated us to expand beyond the visual, to bring the 2020 Pantone Color of the Year to life through a multi-sensory experience.”

Classic Blue in Fashion

PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a poised and self-assured blue hue elegant in its simplicity. Genderless in outlook and seasonless in endurance, this foundational anchor shade enables color mixes throughout the spectrum, as well as making a strong statement on its own. Emblematic of heritage but at the same time highly contemporary, versatile PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue takes on distinct appearances through application to different materials, finishes and textures from shimmering metallics, lustrous sheens and high-tech materials to hand crafted looks and more fragile fabrics.

Classic Blue in Beauty

In the ultimate display of personal expression, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue makes a dramatic statement for eyes, nails and hair in a variety of finishes from glittery and glam to dusty matte.

Classic Blue in Home Décor

Offering the promise of protection PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a pervasive favorite for home. Creating a stable foundation from which to build, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue injects creative confidence into interiors, transforming a space through unique color combinations and tonal statements. Easily applied across so many different materials, textures and finishes, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is a dependable blue that can take you in different directions expressing tradition and elegance as well as unexpected boldness.

Classic Blue in Graphic Design and Packaging

Because of PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue’s relation to the sky at dusk, something we see every day, it maintains a perception of dependability and constancy. A color we respond to viscerally as being trustworthy, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is an ideal shade for many applications of graphic design. This is especially true for packaging where PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue conveys the message of honesty, credibility and reliability that today’s consumers are connecting to.

Publishing Giant Condé Nast Announces New Global Leadership Structure

U.S./New York-based Condé Nast and London-based Condé Nast International Are Integrated as One Global Team. New Consumer Marketing Function to Bring Focus on Direct-to-Consumer Efforts With Unified Commercial Team to Better Serve Global Clients’ Holistic Needs

New Leadership Structure is Expected to Help Further Turn the Financial Ship Around As Company Moves Beyond Closing and Selling Off Magazine Titles, Layoffs and Consolidation of Workforce Across All Titles

Long expected, Condé Nast yesterday appointed a new global leadership team designed to accelerate the company’s evolution into a 21st-century media company. The new organizational structure, which combines Condé Nast and Condé Nast International into a unified global team, was created with several guiding principles in mind, including the preservation of local editorial voice and authority, an enhanced focus on the consumer, unification of the company’s ad and commercial sales functions to reflect clients’ local and global needs and the development of new ways to share capabilities and best practices across the company.

Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, The New Yorker, GQ, Glamour, AD, Vanity Fair, and Wired, among many others. The company’s award-winning content reaches 84 million consumers in print, 367 million in digital and 379 million across social platforms, and generates more than 1 billion video views each month. The company is headquartered in London and New York and operates in 32 markets worldwide including China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico & Latin America, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, the U.K., and the U.S., with local license partners across the globe. Launched in 2011, Condé Nast Entertainment is an award-winning production and distribution studio that creates programming across film, television, social and digital video and virtual reality.

“One of my top priorities has been to define our organizational structure so that we can take full advantage of our unique growth opportunities and exceptional content around the world,” said the recently-appointed CEO of Condé Nast, RogerLynch “I’m confident that our new global structure will better enable us to collaborate across teams and markets and, ultimately, deliver unparalleled experiences for our consumers and clients.“

The new structure is as follows:

Global Content Functions:: Anna Wintour, U.S. Artistic Director, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue U.S. and (newly-appointed) Global Content Advisor, will continue in her role as U.S. Artistic Director and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue U.S., and will add Global Content Advisor and oversight of Vogue International to her responsibilities. In her expanded role, Wintour will advise the executive leadership team on global content opportunities and act as a resource to editors-in-chief and editorial talent worldwide.

Oren Katzeff, President of Condé Nast Entertainment (CNE), will expand the company’s digital video, film and television operations to create best-in-class video content experiences for audiences worldwide. The company has been increasing its focus on video content and currently generates 1.1 billion video views per month. Under Oren’s leadership, CNE will now be the core of our global network of video teams, supporting the growth of our video businesses in all markets.

David Remnick, Editor-in-Chief of The New Yorker, will also continue to report directly to Lynch.

Global Operations Organization: Wolfgang Blau, President, International & Chief Operating Officer will oversee all non-U.S. markets, as well as selected global strategic functions, including Product & Technology, Data, Licensing, Global Editorial Operations, Business Development, and Delivery & Business Transformation. This organization will ensure day-to-day operational excellence and capability sharing across the business.

Global Commercial Organization: Pamela Drucker Mann, Global Chief Revenue Officer & President, U.S. Revenue, will lead a new global revenue organization that brings together the company’s U.S. and international ad sales, creative and agency, B2B marketing and client service capabilities. Jamie Jouning, promoted to Chief Client Officer, will report to Drucker Mann and oversee key global accounts, multi-market deals, and central digital ad operations. Drucker Mann will define ad sales and ad product strategies globally, and work closely with Jamie and the central team and commercial leads in the company’s worldwide markets to drive overall ad, agency, and B2B revenue and share best practices.

Consumer Marketing Organization: Condé Nast is creating a new consumer marketing organization that will be led by a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and will bring added focus to the company’s direct-to-consumer efforts. As the company expands its consumer offerings, this team will be charged with developing best-in-class capabilities and consistency across consumer experiences on every platform. The team will also be responsible for consumer revenue, with a core focus on subscriptions and memberships. In addition, the team will have responsibility for global brand management, consumer research, and insights and global audience development, ensuring a data-driven approach to the company’s efforts. The search for a CMO to lead this new organization will begin immediately.

Corporate Functions: The company is also globalizing its three corporate functions to leverage skills, expertise and standardize processes and best practices: People, Finance and Communications. The company will begin an immediate search and selection process for these and other open roles. Until new leaders are identified, teams will maintain their existing reporting lines and responsibilities.

“We’re bringing added focus to our direct-to-consumer efforts and will build a new consumer marketing function that will be charged with developing best-in-class subscription and membership capabilities, and maintaining the authenticity of our iconic global brands,” Lynch continued. “And by transforming our sales organization into a unified global team, Condé Nast will be better positioned to serve the holistic needs of our clients around the world and make it easier for them to do business with us.“

The new structure and appointments take effect immediately.

CuriosityStream™ Launches Print Ad Campaign That Positions The New SVOD Service As “the Antidote To ‘Reality’ TV”

TV Commercials To Increase Brand Awareness Will Air Concurrently On Networks Including Fox News, CNN and Bloomberg

The Independently-Owned, Ad-Free SVOD Service Created By The Discovery Channel Founder Now Offers Over 1,500 Titles In History, Science, Nature, And Technology

All Titles Are Available For Instant Access By Subscribers With Annual And Monthly Subscription Plans Available for SD, HD, and 4K Streaming

John Hendricks, the Founder of CuriosityStream and the Founder and Former Chairman of Discovery Communications, announced today that CuriosityStream, which is currently available in 196 countries worldwide, is launching its first print ad campaign with a theme of positioning the SVOD service as “the antidote to ‘reality’ TV.”

During the week of February 6, 2017, the print campaign will launch in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other major newspapers. Concurrent with the print campaign, CuriosityStream has begun to test television commercials designed to increase brand awareness. With commercials currently being tested on networks such as CNN, Fox News, and Bloomberg, the TV campaign has been created around the theme “Long Live the Curious.”

John Hendricks

Hendricks stated, “The economic realities of ad-supported linear television have understandably driven most cable networks toward ‘reality’ TV programming which appeals to the large audiences for amusement content. As a result, the curious 25% of television viewers have witnessed a dramatic loss of choice in high-quality programs in science, history, nature, and technology. CuriosityStream is now available worldwide with a mission to satisfy the demand of audiences who are eager to learn about the mysteries of civilization, recent advances in science, fascinating breakthroughs in technology, in-depth explorations of current events, and the wonders of nature.”

Immigrant Contributions To American Society Recognized With 2017 Vilcek Prizes

Visual Artist Nari Ward And Biophysicists Lily And Yuh-Nung Jan Receive $100,000 Vilcek Prizes

Winners Of Vilcek Prizes For Creative Promise Each Receive $50,000 Awards

The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the annual Vilcek Prizes, recognizing outstanding immigrant contributions to the American arts and sciences. The Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science will be awarded jointly to Chinese-born Lily and Yuh-Nung Jan, a collaborative research duo and professors of molecular physiology at the University of California, San Francisco. The Vilcek Prize in the Arts recognizes Jamaican-born Nari Ward, a New York-based visual artist known for found-object assemblage art. Each prize includes a $100,000 cash award. The prizewinners were selected by panels of experts in each field; they will be honored at an awards gala in New York City in April 2017.

“Like all great artists and scientists, these immigrant prizewinners challenge our very perceptions of the world,” said Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. “Their works are attempts to understand fundamental questions and concepts in American society, from the neurological underpinnings of the self to the institution of democracy.”

The Vilcek Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation, to honor the contributions of immigrants to the United States and to foster an appreciation of the arts and sciences, was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history, as well as their personal experiences and appreciation for the opportunities they received as newcomers to this country. The foundation awards annual prizes to prominent immigrant biomedical scientists and artists and manages the Vilcek Foundation Art Collections, a promised gift from its founders.

This year, the Vilcek Prize in the Arts is awarded in the fine arts, marking the completion of an 11-year cycle through various disciplines in the arts and humanities. The recipient, Nari Ward, was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 12. He is known for found-object assemblage artworks that invite both a public conversation and an intimate dialogue with the viewer around topics of race, immigration, and the Caribbean diaspora identity. His usage of found objects aims to highlight the history of a place and the urgency of the moment; his installation Naturalization Drawing Table features a large desk—built out of Plexiglas bodega barriers—covered with dense linear drawings made over copies of Immigration and Naturalization Service applications. On select days during the exhibition, viewers are invited to “apply” for naturalization by lining up and filling out an application, giving them a taste of the bureaucratic process of applying for citizenship. Ward has won several prestigious art prizes, including the Joyce Award, the Rome Prize, a Bessie Award, and several other awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

Lily and Yuh-Nung Jan were both born in China and raised in Taiwan. They came to the U.S. as graduate students of physics at the California Institute of Technology but switched their focus to biology, in part inspired by their mentor, the renowned biophysicist Max Delbrück. Over the course of a collaborative career spanning over four decades, the husband-and-wife team has made many significant discoveries in the field of neuroscience, with far-reaching clinical implications. They isolated the gene encoding a protein that shuttles potassium ions across cell membranes, enabling the characterization of a molecular player important to functions as vital as maintaining heart rate and controlling muscle movement. Today, this type of ion channel is implicated in diseases such as epilepsy, ataxia, and hypertension. Simultaneously, the Jans identified genes and principles underlying the processes by which neurons acquire distinct identities, burgeon into thickets, and establish precise circuits; their work in this area may help unravel human diseases such as autism and schizophrenia. Currently, professors of molecular physiology at the University of California, San Francisco, the Jans have been honored with membership in the United States National Academy of Sciences, as well as with Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator awards.

The Vilcek Foundation also awards the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise, given to younger immigrants who have shown substantial talent and ability early in their careers. Each prize includes a $50,000 cash award. The winners in the fine arts are the following:

Iman Issa, born in Egypt, a conceptual artist, creates objects and installations in an attempt to address complex philosophical questions. Her original area of study was phenomenology, a branch of philosophy that examines the structures of consciousness that organize subjective experience—or, put another way, how we take meaning from things we individually experience. Later, Issa realized that art allowed for nuanced exploration of those topics, and continued her philosophical questioning through art. She is particularly interested in monuments and memorials—aesthetic forms tasked with a function that holds a shifting relevance based on their location in time and relationship to history. Her work has been shown at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the 8th Berlin Biennial, and the New Museum, and she has received the DAAD 2017 Artist in Residence Award, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, and the HNF-MACBA Award.

Meleko Mokgosi, born in Botswana, is a slow, considered painter; behind every painting he produces are hours of research, reading, and conversations with people. Mokgosi is interested in depictions of Africa and its people; he believes that the widespread misrepresentation of Africa and Africans has done a violence to the people of the continent, and through his art he attempts a representation that is fair and just. He is deeply concerned with politics and seeks to understand and illuminate the relations of power that shape people, families, villages, regions, and nations. Mokgosi has been named the recipient of the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters Grant and the Jarl and Pamela Mohn Award, and he has shown his work at Art Basel, the Armory, the Hammer Museum, and the Whitney Museum.

Smart & Blue Unveils 3 New Smart Shower Products plus First International Availability at CES 2017 in Las Vegas

In the run-up to CES 2017 in Las Vegas, French Eco-Tech company Smart & Blue today announced three new HYDRAO smart showerhead products, the much-awaited international availability of its products, plus new industry awards. Smart & Blue is an innovation leader in smart solutions for water conservation. Headquartered in Grenoble, France, the company was founded by founder Gabriel Dell Monica in 2015. The company now employs 10 people directly.

The new HYDRAO Loop and First smart showerheads and HYDRAO Drop smart shower light bring innovation, color, enjoyment – and now French design chic – to the bathroom. They are designed to increase awareness of water usage and encourage reduced water and energy consumption. HYDRAO First will be the first product to become available internationally – starting tomorrow.

Smart & Blue Founder Gabriel Dell Monica

The designs of HYDRAO Loop and Drop have already won two new CES Innovation Awards: HYDRAO Loop in the Smart Home category and HYDRAO Drop in Tech for a Better World category.

THREE NEW SMART SHOWER SOLUTIONS

HYDRAO Loop: a combination of advanced Smart & Blue technology innovation with French luxury design to bring smart-shower capabilities to stylish, modern bathrooms.

HYDRAO Loop smart shower set (Photo: Business Wire)

HYDRAO Loop Hand shower

HYDRAO Drop: adds smart-shower water saving capabilities to an existing shower. It is simple to install, and has a flexible arm that can be positioned to illuminate any shower surface or water jet.

HYDRAO Loop on a showerhead

HYDRAO First: a fun, educational and affordable smart hand shower. Launched in France at the end of 2016, HYDRAO First is available internationally from Jan. 4th 2017.

HYDRAO First is a LED-illuminated showerhead that brings color and enjoyment to families, while educating users on water usage.

SMART-SHOWER INNOVATION WITH LUXURY DESIGN

DESIGN INNOVATION AND WATER EFFICIENCY: Both HYDRAO Loop and Drop benefit from a new miniaturized version of Smart & Blue’s patented smart shower technology, allowing users to benefit from a sleek, streamlined design, with no compromise to HYDRAO’s water conservation guidance. Also new is the ability to allow individual users to monitor their own personal usage and savings – on either one or multiple HYDRAO smart showers.

New smart water pressure innovations also let users enjoy an enhanced shower experience, even at low pressure levels.1 These enhancements include increased energy efficiency for the internal turbine, new water pressure regulation capabilities and an innovative aerated water flow feature. Together they ensure optimum water flow and lighting intensity, while decreasing overall water consumption.

For professional customers, the fully modular, interchangeable design of HYDRAO Loop and Drop allow for design customization. Smart & Blue smart shower technology can also be integrated into own designs.

.ART, The First Internet Domain Dedicated To The Arts And Culture Is Launched

RESPONSIBLY ADVANCING THE ART WORLD THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND CREATIVITY.

More Than 60 World-Famous Museums, International Art Galleries And Renowned Art Organizations Will Be The First To Launch Websites Using .ART

.ART, the first domain created exclusively for the global art community, is pleased to announce that more than 60 museums and world – renowned arts organizations launched websites dedicated to the new domain first class, including The Art Institute of Chicago , Centre Pompidou, Fondation Beyeler, Fondation Cartier, Guggenheim Museum, Hauser & Wirth, ICA Miami, LACMA, MAXXI, Tate and Walker Art Center, and more. These first. .ART users have entertained plans to activate their new domains, some of which include full migration or consolidation of their existing web sites .ART, while others are launching new websites dedicated to exhibit unique content of its artists and/or collections.

The rights holder in charge of operating and selling the .ART domain is UK Creative Ideas Ltd. (UKCI), an international team based in London. In spring 2016 UKCI signed an agreement with ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, to be the exclusive operator of the top-level domain.

“Our mission is to preserve the cultural heritage of the world of global art. We are honored that so many respected institutions around the world share our vision and conviction that .ART transform the relationship of the arts community with Internet and help protect your online brand heritage , “said Ulvi Kasimov , founder of .ART.

John Matson , CEO of .ART added: “.ART Provides a new way for the art world online identified The domain is short, simple, easy to remember and have immediate association with the arts for our first users, .ART domain is a natural expression of your brand. “

The first users will first receive access to domain names. .ART; therefore, they have the opportunity to launch content on their respective web sites before the domains are available for purchase by the general public in the summer of 2017. The first .ART users have shared their enthusiasm:

The digital director of the Tate, Ros Lawler, said the museum “is delighted to participate in the launch of this new domain, which will help promote some of the art collections, galleries and museums the world ‘s largest.”

Benoît Parayre, Director of Communications and Partnerships in the Centre Pompidou, said: “A domain name for the art world took enough to appear, but now allow many leaders of the cultural industry, museums, art centers, galleries, collectors, etc., have more relevant domain names to promote their collections and programming. “

“The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain is very excited to be part of the new digital neighborhood .ART and evolve further their programs, ” said his digital manager, David Desrimais.

Anton Vidokle, artist and founder ofe-flux, added: “The Internet carries a profound educational potential, and a reliable and informative domain dedicated to art will provide an invaluable source of knowledge The domain….. .art will become an effective platform to dignify. the excellent work of arts organizations and artists from all over the world for all those who love and care about the arts.“

Dominique Chevalier, president of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires Antiquaires (SNA), which organizes the Biennale des Antiquaires at the Grand Palais in Paris, said: “For us, and for our galleries, ‘.com’ is too commercial and ‘.fr’ too . generic the problem with most domain names that say nothing about the activity that one performs, ‘.ART’ solves that.“

Lelia Pissarro, co-owner of the Stern Pissarro Gallery and great – granddaughter of the artist Camille Pissarro, said:.. “The Internet has the greatest impact on the market of global art has taken the art to every corner of the world the way forward in terms of domain names is clearly categorizing industries. We have the impression that they represent the names Pissarro, combined with ‘.com’ detracted elegance. Now to be able to use ‘pissarro.art’ simply is the perfect solution. it comes to cover an old gap in our marketing strategy and how we project.“

The first users have comprehensive plans for their respective sites:

Tate, LACMA, Multimedia Art Museum and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum will create websites that highlight the various aspects of their collections, while the Fondation Cartier will use the domain to make its collection available to the public for the first time in its history. Meanwhile, the Centre Pompidou will launch a dedicated website with useful information in English and other languages for their foreign visits.

Hauser & Wirth celebrate the 25th anniversary of the gallery by launching an interactive website that displays a visual chronology detailing the nearly three decades of history gallery. In addition, Canesso Gallery, Galerie Meyer Oceanic & Eskimo Art, Galerie Perrin, Tomasso Brothers Fine Art , Stern Pissarro Gallery and Venus migrated completely its current websites to their new .ART domains.

TIMELINE

• December 2016 – February 2017: ICANN (TMCH)-registered trademarks will be able to register their .ART domains in this phase, also called Sunrise.
• February – May 2017: The registration process will be open to members of the art world only.
• May 2017 onwards: Anyone with an interest in the arts can register .ART domains.

To see the complete list of the first users of .ART, visit http://www.art.art.

 

Three, Two, One…Holiday! Amazon.com Launches Black Friday Deals Store and Curated Holiday Gift Guides

This Holiday Season, Customers Can Enjoy More Deals Than Ever Before On Everything From Hd Tvs To Stylish Kitchen Staples To Some Of The Most Popular Toys Of The Year

To Help Customers Find The Perfect Gift For Everyone On Their Shopping List, Amazon Offers Curated Holiday Gift Guides For Electronics, Home, Handmade, And Other Categories

Alexa, What Are Your Deals? New This Year, Prime Members Can Use Alexa Voice Shopping To Shop For Almost Anything, Including Exclusive Deals For Customers With An Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire Tv, Or Fire Tablet

Amazon.com has announced the launch of its Black Friday Deals Store and more than a dozen curated holiday gift guides, officially marking the start of the holiday countdown. Customers can enjoy tens of thousands of deals this holiday season on Amazon.com, with new deals as often as every five minutes on everything from HD TVs to stylish kitchen staples to some of the most popular toys of the year. In addition, Amazon offers curated holiday gift guides to help take the guesswork out of shopping for loved ones and make it easier for customers to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list.

“Customers love discovering the best deals on the most sought-after products, and our Black Friday Deals Store and curated Holiday Gift Guides offer them a place to do just that – plus enjoy the most convenient shopping experience with tons of super-fast shipping options,” said Doug Herrington, Senior Vice President of North American Retail at Amazon. “This holiday season, we’re offering more deals than ever before and – for the first time ever – giving Prime members an opportunity to use Alexa voice shopping for purchasing their holiday gifts hands-free. They can make purchases simply by asking Alexa-enabled devices, like the new Echo Dot, while relaxing at home with family and friends.”

Black Friday Deals Store

Available at www.amazon.com/blackfriday, the Black Friday Deals Store is the leading deals destination for customers with tens of thousands of deals, and new deals as often as every five minutes, now through December 22. Customers can enjoy more deals than ever before this holiday season, including low prices on top gifts such as electronics, toys, clothing, jewelry, kitchen items, and more. In fact, Amazon is offering up to 20 compelling Deals of the Day in a single day. Some examples of the great deals Amazon customers can take advantage of this holiday season include: $20 off the Kindle Paperwhite, savings on an LG 55” 1080p Curved Smart OLED TV, and up to 40% off select Magformers toys.

Electronics Gift Guide

Available at www.amazon.com/electronicsgiftguide, the 2016 Amazon Electronics Gift Guide features more than 500 of this year’s hottest technology products all in one convenient location. Enthusiasts can explore new releases such as 360-degree cameras and buzz-worthy gifts like virtual reality headsets and 3D printers. The Electronics Gift Guide also features innovations from up-and-coming startups in the Amazon Launchpad program. Customers can browse more than 10 categories, including smart home, home entertainment, music, wearables, photography, gaming, gadgets and gizmos, and more. The Electronics Gift Guide also includes expert reviews and product demonstration videos to help customers find the perfect gift. And shoppers looking for budget-friendly gift ideas can find top gifts under $100.

Home Gift Guide

Available at www.amazon.com/homegiftguide, the 2016 Amazon Home Gift Guide is a curated list of more than a thousand of this season’s must-have products for the home. Filled with gift ideas for indoors and outdoors, customers can easily discover presents for everyone on their list, including cooks, bakers, home decorators, arts and crafters, smart home tech lovers, pets, backyard enthusiasts, kids and more, curated by experts in the industry such as Smitten Kitchen and Design*Sponge. Holiday decorators and party planners will find everything they need to set a festive scene at home. Customers can also shop the latest trends in the Home Gift Guide, including copper appliances, rose gold cutlery, and handmade ceramics, as well as browse products that are new this holiday season, including the KitchenAid Mini, NEST Fragrances Classic Candle (Hearth), Petcube Play Wi-Fi Pet Camera, and Bissell 1650A Pet Hair Eraser Vacuum.

Handmade at Amazon Holiday Gift Guide

Available at www.amazon.com/handmade, the Handmade at Amazon Holiday Gift Guide offers customers curated lists of genuinely handcrafted items sold directly by artisans. Featuring products for her, for him, and for kids, as well as handcrafted stocking stuffers for friends and family, the Gift Guide makes finding the perfect holiday present easier than ever. Heading into this holiday season, Amazon customers visiting the Handmade at Amazon store will see hundreds of thousands more handcrafted items, thousands of which are eligible for Free Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime. For shoppers looking for a personal touch, over half of the items listed on Handmade have options for customer personalization. With handcrafted items in categories from toys and games, to home décor, handbags and accessories and kitchen and dining, Handmade at Amazon is a one-stop-shop for artisan-crafted gifts this holiday season.

‘LOVE, NORDSTROM’: Nordstrom Celebrates Its Loyal Customers In 2016 Holiday Campaign

Nordstrom Inc. is celebrating its customers and their stories through a holiday campaign that thanks them called ‘Love, Nordstrom.’ The company is using the marketing campaign as a stage for larger-than-life love notes to thank customers for the special relationship they share. The campaign debuted in the U.S. and Canada on November 1st.

LOVE, NORDSTROM

With this year’s campaign, Nordstrom is prioritizing a pure holiday spirit and expressing gratitude to connect emotionally with its customers in a special way. More than 30 real Nordstrom customers were photographed in Los Angeles, Nashville and Seattle and are featured in the national campaign that was produced in partnership with creative agency Partners & Spade.

“This holiday, we want to remember and thank the people who are most special to us at Nordstrom – our customers,” said Nordstrom Vice President of Creative Projects Olivia Kim. “We reached out to our employees and asked them to share some of their favorite customer stories. We met with as many people as we could, asked them to bring along some of the things that make up their signature style and took photos of them. It was so fun to connect with our customers who make us who we are. The result was our Love, Nordstrom campaign.”

The integrated campaign components include digital, print, out of home, in-store window displays, shopping bags and coffee sleeves. There will be a ‘Love, Nordstrom’ navigation tab on Nordstrom.com. In an effort to reach and thank every single Nordstrom customer, the campaign also includes a charming video of employees singing the song “Thank You for Being Friend” to let all customers know how much they are appreciated. The video will be posted on Nordstrom.com and on the retailer’s social and digital platforms.

WHERE THE GIFTS ARE

This holiday season, Nordstrom hopes to be a gift-giving destination that inspires customers at all price points. A few highlights include:

• Available now, the company is introducing Mini Boden inspired by Roald Dahl – an exclusive limited-edition collection for kids celebrating six stories including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and more.
• Starting November 18, Nordstrom VP of Creative Olivia Kim will curate ‘Love, Pop-In@Nordstrom,’ a colorful holiday selection of apparel, accessories and tech toys including everything from smart luggage to unisex casualwear, turntables to instant cameras, cozy candles to nail art supplies, and more.
• Starting November 25 in select stores, Nordstrom is launching shops with fresh gifting ideas such as Wit & Wonder (a one-stop shop for gifts with personality), The Trim Shop (featuring ornaments and decor), The Wonder Bar (for stocking stuffers), The Toy Shop (of course), Bow & Drape (for personalized gifts) and Gifts & Glam (for beauty).

National Geographic Offers Gifts for the Adventurer, Traveler, Stargazer, Photographer, Book Lover, Young Scientist and More

Explore The World With National Geographic And Give A Gift Inspired By Travel, Adventure, Science, Exploration, Photography And Global Craft This Holiday.

If you have a love of people, places, culture and history or if you are looking for gifts that are out of the ordinary, National Geographic has some unique selections in its 2016 Holiday Look Book. From books to home goods, eclectic apparel and jewelry, gear, photography workshops and private expeditions National Geographic offers high-quality, authentic gifts that would delight anyone on your list.

Another plus: All purchases support National Geographic Society’s vital exploration, conservation, cultural preservation and education programs around the globe.

“Buyers from National Geographic travel the globe in search of beautiful, handmade objects that tell a story,” said Jill Dvorak, director of site merchandising & marketing, catalog and online operations for National Geographic. “We’ve assembled an extraordinary collection of gifts for the traveler, the book lover, stargazer, home decorator, adventurer, animal lover, young scientist and beyond that will inspire them to learn and explore the world around them.”

Highlights From The 2016 Gift Selection:

National Geographic Exclusive: Geno 2.0 Next Generation Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit. $179.95

Geno 2.0 Next Generation Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kit

The revolutionary Geno 2.0 Next Generation test has been enhanced to offer the most up to date ancestry available and now has:

• -Improved results based on a higher-capacity DNA-testing chip
• -More accurate regional ancestry—double the number of regions and 50+ reference populations
• -Improved DNA haplogroup calls and 20 new ancestral stories.

Introducing the next generation of the Genographic Project Participation Kit. This new DNA test uses cutting-edge technology to give you the richest ancestry information available. Join the more than half a million people who have already taken part in National Geographic’s groundbreaking Genographic Project—contribute to this real-time scientific effort and learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible.

National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Spencer Wells and his team designed Geno Next Gen based on the new technologies and insights that emerged since the launch of the Genographic Project ten years ago. Using an exclusive, custom-built genotyping chip, they test nearly 750,000 DNA markers that have been specifically selected to provide unprecedented ancestry-related information.

For the Holiday Host or Hostess: Personalized Nautical Flag Coasters (Set of 4), $55.00

Personalized Nautical Flag Coasters – Set of 4

Although signal flags have been largely replaced by two-way radio and cell phones, in the 19th century they were how ships at sea communicated with each other. Each flag stands for a letter, but also represents a full message. For example, the “T” flag also meant “keep clear!” Today the flags are reserved for yacht racing and formal occasions. Choose your three-initial monogram and artisans in New England will create a coaster set on cork-backed, rustic tumbled marble that shows your initials along with the corresponding signal flags. Click here for a list of initials and their corresponding flags, or click on the Flag Meanings tab to see what phrase each flag symbolizes in the International Code of Symbols.

(Please note: Personalized items cannot be returned unless damaged or defective. Please check your order carefully; once placed, your order for this item cannot be canceled. Not available for shipment outside of the U.S. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery to the continental U.S. and 4-6 weeks for delivery to Alaska and Hawaii.)

For the Adventurer: Carabiner Clip Watch with LED Micro-Light, $45.00

Carabiner Clip Watch with LED Micro-Light

Equipped with a powerful LED micro-light, this clever explorer’s watch has a built-in carabiner that clips right onto belt loops, packs, and more, keeping the time and a light source within reach as you travel. Luminescent hands and hour markers provide visibility in all kinds of conditions.

(Details: Uses one 376 watch battery and one LR1131 watch battery (both included). We recommend having a jeweler replace the battery. The case is intentionally challenging to open in order to better protect the mechanism and increase the watch’s water resistance. 1 1/2”W x 3”L x 1/4”D, 3 oz, Water-resistant to 100 feet.)

For the Book Lover: Wild, Beautiful Places: Picture-Perfect Journeys Around the Globe, $40.00

Wild, Beautiful Places: Picture-Perfect Journeys Around the Globe

Experience the world’s most wild, remote, beautiful places with shots by National Geographic photographers and vintage photos pulled from the National Geographic archives. Highlighting 50 of Earth’s most pristine, scenic locales, this beautiful book is illustrated with stunning images, coupled with accessible, engaging descriptions and practical travel information. The book covers everything from otherworldly, secluded valleys to far-flung, soaring mountain ranges. National Geographic photographers share some of their favorite shots from around the world and explain how they got them, and historical photos culled from National Geographic’s hallowed image archive highlight old Society explorations in rugged, distant locations, and give a glimpse into the bygone days of these exotic places.

For the Photographer: Camera Lens Travel Mug. $24.00

Camera Lens Travel Mug

Increase your focus, clarity, and zoom abilities. We’re talking about the coffee! This deceptively realistic, BPA-free travel mug looks just like a DSLR camera lens with details like a focus ring and grip—perfect for coffee lovers and camera enthusiasts alike. The stainless steel lining keeps drinks hot and is extra easy to clean. The screw-top lid with sliding sip top keeps your coffee from spilling as you venture off road to capture that perfect shot.

Ada Diamonds Launches As World’s First High-End Jeweler Of Exclusively Laboratory-Grown Diamonds

Silicon Valley-Based Company Creates Custom Diamond Jewelry and Designs Using Superior Cultured Diamonds

Ada Diamonds, in September of this year, was launched as the world’s first custom fine jeweler using exclusively conflict-free, laboratory-grown diamonds. All of Ada’s diamond gemstones are cultured in high-end laboratories and are chemically and optically identical to Earth-extracted diamonds. With the strong belief that powerful technology and fresh ideas can revitalize the diamond industry, Ada Diamonds is forming a brighter future with its one-of-a-kind, sustainable jewelry pieces.

“Ada Diamonds is delighted to offer the most meaningful diamond jewelry in the world by combining cutting-edge technology, innovative design and superlative craftsmanship,” said Ada Diamonds‘s CEO Jason Payne.

Understanding The Difference In Diamonds: Lab-grown diamonds represent a true victory for the environment, human rights and diamond supply chain transparency. Mining diamonds is an energy intensive and ecologically invasive procedure, affecting fragile ecosystems across the globe. Customers can be assured that Ada’s lab-grown diamonds are vegan and sustainable, grown in controlled environments without contributing to conflict. Dedicated to only selling cultured diamonds, Ada provides customers peace of mind that their jewelry comes from known origin.

Ada Diamonds is named after Lady Ada Lovelace, a 19th century mathematician, mother, musician, socialite, and computer scientist who was affectionately known as the Enchantress of Numbers. “Ada Lovelace envisioned a future of beautiful art and music emerging from technology and aptly coined the phrase ‘poetic science,'” says Payne. “Ada Diamonds supports initiatives in Lovelace’s honor to advance computing and women in STEM such as the Lovelace Medal and Ada Lovelace Day.”

Ada Diamonds was co-founded by Silicon Valley husband-wife team Jason Payne and Lindsay Reinsmith who were early adopters of cultured diamonds in their engagement ring in 2011. At the time, the process was confusing and access to the stones was limited. As the technology and diamonds improved, Payne and Reinsmith decided to affect a change in the industry.

“We deliver custom fine jewelry that brightens the world, not just the customer’s world,” said Ada’s CEO Jason Payne. “Anything our customers can imagine, we can create.”

Ada Diamonds launched with over 100 fashion and bridal collection pieces ranging from simple studs and pendants to intricate high jewelry. All of Ada’s jewelry collection pieces are fully bespoke and made-to-order through its unique high-touch concierge program conducted nearly entirely online.

Additionally, Ada Diamonds offers fully bespoke diamonds through their signature Lavoisier Process. Customers can commission the growth of diamonds from any carbon-containing mementos such as flowers, photos, papers and wood to brilliantly celebrate a marriage, graduation, birth, or milestone. The donor material is then graphitized, purified and grown into Lavoisier Diamonds, the ultimate choice in truly custom, meaningful diamond jewelry.

A true marriage of high technology, remarkable craftsmanship, and sustainable luxury, Ada’s cultured diamonds are grown to perfection in high pressure, high temperature diamond presses; the result of over 65 years of research and development in extreme-pressure technology. Using only the most superb materials, Ada Diamonds offers exceptional quality diamonds in a multitude of colors, shapes and sizes.

In addition to creating fine jewelry, Ada Diamonds partners with other luxury brands for unique installations of its spectacular diamonds. Ada has worked with iconic automotive brands such as Koenigsegg Automotive, to place lab-grown diamonds in the interiors of supercars. Ada’s latest diamond bespoking effort, an Agera RS named ‘Naraya’, was awarded Most Sensational Supercar at the 2016 Salon Privé Concours d’Elégance.

Ada is also an affinity partner of superlative brands including Rolls-Royce Motor Cars creating commissioned jewelry for owners, supporting events, and styling product specialists at events, auto shows and photo shoots. Most recently, Ada Diamonds held a pop-up boutique in the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Pebble Beach Villa during the 2016 Monterey Car Week.

Prior to founding Ada Diamonds, Payne founded and led the Philanthropy Engineering Team at Palantir Technologies. “I am passionate about corporate philanthropy and have made social responsibility a core part of Ada’s mission,” says Payne. Ada Diamonds has pledged to give 6% of all profits to six causes as part of their Sixth Element Program.

2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Give The Gift Of Pure Luxury With Ada Diamond’s Latest “Delicate” And “Strong” Jewelry Collections

Ada Diamonds, best known for bespoke, high-end cultured diamond jewelry, unveiled its latest jewelry collections featuring soft and bold pieces for both women and men, perfect for the holiday gift giving season.

Cultured in high-end laboratories, Ada Diamonds offers the most meaningful diamond jewelry across the globe, combining cutting-edge technology, unmatched craftsmanship and sustainable designs. Especially knowing Ada’s lab-grown diamond process brings no harm to the environment, ecosystems or wildlife, the company presents customers the chance to wow their loved ones with 100% conflict free, luxury jewelry pieces sure to impress everyone on their list.

Launching the Delicate and Strong Collections the first week of November, Ada Diamonds celebrates its laboratory-grown diamonds through the creation of these spectacular pieces brightening the holidays for anyone who receives them.

Ada Diamonds’ new Delicate Collection. www.adadiamonds.com.

Ada Diamonds‘ Delicate Collection boasts modern, timeless pieces that take the guesswork out of gift giving. Offered in a setting of 14kt white, yellow or rose gold, this gorgeous set of necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets are ready to wear and feature up to 0.24ctw of cultured diamonds. Retailing at just $500, the Delicate Collection launches with 30 different pieces and is ideal for the holidays, graduation and bridesmaid gifts and even as a personal, well-deserved treat.

Ada Diamonds’ new Strong Collection. www.adadiamonds.com (PRNewsFoto-Ada Diamonds)

In contrast to the Delicate Collection, Ada Diamond‘s Strong Collection gives customers the opportunity to wear something extraordinary. Each ring in the Collection is made of millions of cultured diamonds permanently fused together under a million PSI and under temperatures of over 1500 degrees Celsius. The polycrystalline diamond material, Polydiamond, possesses incredible strength and is the ultimate expression of unbreakable, long-lasting love for both men and women. The striking black color is a result of these millions of diamond crystals pressed together in non-symmetrical orientation, thus absorbing light rather than light passing through as it does a single diamond crystal. The durable, unscratchable nature of the Strong Collection makes it an excellent choice for men’s wedding bands, starting at $1,500.

“We all have people on our holiday lists that we want to impress this season – look no further than Ada Diamonds and our two latest collections that are daily wear and ready to wear,” says Jason Payne, CEO of Ada Diamonds. “Jewelry pieces from both the Delicate and Strong Collections ship in one to two weeks.”

2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Find the Joy of Giving This Holiday Season With Magnificent Gifts From Macy’s

From Fashion And Tech To Home Goods And Stocking Stuffers, Macy’s Wide Assortment Makes Holiday Shopping A Breeze.

Plus Extra Help Is Always Available From The Gift Specialists At My Stylist@Macy’s

The holiday season is a celebration of happiness that brings loved ones together, and Macy’s has the perfect gifts to make family, friends, and all those near-and-dear feel special. Whether it’s the runway show-obsessed fashionista, the diehard athlete, the tech fanatic, or the master chef, Macy’s has an abundance of items at every price point sure to warm the hearts of those who mean the most.

“No [other] time of [the] year inspires the sentiments of love, caring and generosity quite like the holiday season,” said Kathy Hilt, Senior Vice President of My Stylist@Macy’s. “This year, we’ve truly topped ourselves with the most unique assortment of gifts for every person on your list. Plus, if you need a little help, Macy’s dedicated gift specialists at My Stylist@Macy’s make picking the perfect present easier than ever.”

The Gift of Style

Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list this holiday season at Macy’s stores and on macys.com; I.N.C. International Concepts Slippers, $39.50. (Photo: Business Wire)

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With a roster of top brands and celebrated designers, Macy’s is the ultimate destination for items to elevate that special someone’s wardrobe this holiday season. For her, handbags, shoes, jewelry and always-on-trend athleisure items will inspire pure joy. Jewel-embellished slip-ons from MICHAEL Michael Kors are chic, sporty and rendered in luxe velvet, applying the must-have fabric of the season in a unique and unexpected way. A signature Mickey Mouse wristlet in a bright hue from Coach is whimsical, practical and stylish, while a funnel neck hoodie and tights from Nike, or Calvin Klein Performance logo joggers and sweaters can take her from yoga to brunch with flair. Give her the gift of both comfort and glamour with a pair of fabulous faux fur-trimmed glitter moccasins from I.N.C. International Concepts.

Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list this holiday season at Macy’s stores and on macys.com; Kenneth Cole Reaction Wallets, $48 each. (Photo: Business Wire)

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For him, a velvet sport coat from Alfani immediately adds panache to any look. Pair the coat with bar III slim trousers and a tie for a more formal approach, or layer with jeans and loafers or boots for a look that is relaxed, yet polished and urbane. Polarized aviators from Ray-Ban are a classic, but undeniably sleek and stylish way to protect his eyes from the sun, and a zipper slim billfold wallet from Kenneth Cole Reaction is an excellent way to update a staple he uses every day.

Find the perfect gift for everyone on your list this holiday season at Macy’s stores and on macys.com: YSL mon paris parfum spray, $122

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Beauty and grooming are the finishing touches, and Macy’s has a wide array of fabulous products that are sure to delight. The Impulse Beauty artistry palette and 9-piece brush set allows her to experiment with countless looks in an awe-inspiring number of colors and shades. For him, Kiehl’s 4-piece Hydration Hits set gives the oft-coveted gift of smooth and healthy skin.

Emporio Armani Enters The World Of The Connected And Launches A Hybrid Smartwatch

Emporio Armani marks its entrance into the field of connected wearables with the Emporio Armani Connected collection of hybrid smartwatches.

The Emporio Armani Connected Hybrid Smartwatch Collection (PRNewsFoto/Emporio Armani)

The Emporio Armani Connected line of hybrid smartwatches brings together the unmistakable design of Emporio Armani timepieces and the advantages of wearable technology. With the ability to sync to your smartphone via Bluetooth, these hybrid smartwatches offer the following features:

• Time keeping perfection: ensure maximum precision, automatically changing time zones and date while you’re traveling
• Second time zone: accurately convert the hour with ease
• Discreet notifications: can be set to subtly notify you of calls, messages, or other important notifications
• Activity tracking: automatically track and monitor your daily activities
• No charging: the quartz batteries allow for prolonged use without the need to recharge
• Control your music: allow for easy access to your phone’s music playlist to start, stop, skip, or go back
• Sleep tracking: to automatically monitor sleep patterns
• Alarm: for scheduled alerts from your timepiece
• Camera: wirelessly take photos on your smartphone
• Find your lost device: to quickly locate your misplaced smartphone

The Emporio Armani Connected line of hybrid smartwatches will be available on www.emporioarmaniconnected.com, in select boutiques and wholesale accounts worldwide, in a choice of rose gold-tone, black, gunmetal, and stainless steel, with a three-piece link or leather strap. The texturized face, with rose gold-tone or silver hands, carries the unmistakable Emporio Armani character.

The launch of this line of hybrid smartwatches is the first step of a wider project that will culminate in 2017 with the official presentation of the first Emporio Armani display smartwatch.

2016 Holiday Gift Guide: Macy’s Introduces Brookstone to Stores Nationwide

Technology Takes Center Stage at Macy’s This Holiday, With Innovative Gift Ideas From Specialty Retailer Brookstone, Available in 347 Stores and Online at macys.com

This week, Macy’s launches a new partnership with specialty retailer Brookstone, to bring uniquely designed, high-quality gifts to 347 stores and macys.com this holiday season. Macy’s will carry more than 30 Brookstone items in store and online at macys.com, priced from $14.99 to $299.99, beginning in mid-October.

“Brookstone is a brand known for exceptionally innovative products that aim to improve your quality of life and Macy’s is the premiere destination for holiday gifts,” said Tim Baxter, Macy’s Chief Merchandising Officer. “By offering Brookstone at Macy’s – from headphones and speakers to kitchen gadgets or the perfect massage – their extraordinary items will add to our electronic offerings just in time for the holiday shopping season.”

Macy’s introduces Brookstone to macys.com and stores nationwide, offering innovative gift ideas this holiday season; Brookstone Cat Ears Headphones, $99.99 (Photo: Business Wire)

Brookstone products are designed to do amazing things in surprising ways and make everyday moments more interesting – for music and massagers, toys and tech, gadgets, gizmos, gear and gifts. For those who like to stand out in a crowd, quirky Cat Ear Headphones are the perfect way to enjoy music privately, or through the cat ear speakers when sharing songs with friends. Big Blue Party™ indoor-outdoor speakers are wireless, weatherproof and deliver exceptional, omnidirectional sound. The Nap™ Massaging Wrap uses soothing vibration and ultra-soft fabric to bring neck massage to a whole new level, while the Towel Warmer ensures no one ever has to step out of the shower in the cold again.

Additional Brookstone products available at Macy’s include:

• 6-in-1 Tool Pen; $14.99
• 5-in-1 Gardener’s Tool; $24.99
• Snackman™ Motion-Sensing Snack Dispenser; $39.99
• Auto Emergency Tool and Flashlight; $19.99
• Grill Alert Bluetooth® Cooking Thermometer; $69.99
• Big Blue Mini™ Wireless Travel Speaker; $49.99
• Wireless Mobile Projector; $299.99
• Flight Force™ Stunt Drone; $59.99
• Original Sånd by Brookstone; $19.99
• Aperto Auto-sensing Wine Opener; $39.99

“Macy’s is the perfect showcase for Brookstone, and we’re proud to be in their wonderful stores,” said Brookstone CEO, Steven Goldsmith. “Macy’s has always been about giving customers high-quality brands, exciting products and enjoyable shopping experiences. These are values Brookstone and Macy’s share, and we’re thrilled to bring Brookstone innovations to Macy’s customers in time for the 2016 holiday gift season.”

Founded in 1965, Brookstone is a U.S.-based product developer and retailer of wellness, entertainment, and travel products that are fun to discover, smart to use and beautiful in design. Brookstone products are available at its 200+ retail locations at malls and airports throughout the U.S., online at Brookstone.com, via its Brookstone catalog and through select premium retailers.

New Season, New Ambitions, New Footwear Arsenal: Under Armour And Stephen Curry To Launch The Curry 3

Set To Drop October 25, The Newest Addition To The Reigning MVP’s Signature Collection Is Powered By Breakthrough Technology And Infused With Game-Changing Design

Stephen Curry returns to the court this season with a renewed drive, hunger and focus on the future. Fueled by Stephen’s unwavering will to always take his game to the next level, Under Armour will drive the game of basketball forward with the latest addition to Curry’s signature footwear collection, the Curry 3.

“Being able to work directly with my team at Under Armour on the Curry 3 has been an incredible experience,” said Curry. “Our team’s knowledge and expertise on the science of building a shoe is unparalleled, and pairing with what works for my body and my game, I know that we have created something really special. Working in collaboration with my UA team from start to finish on inspiration, design and fit will without question drive us to success.”

Constructed with proprietary technologies and designed to drive the league’s back-to-back MVP to new heights, the Curry 3 is the optimal combination of lightweight support, balance, speed and durability. Powered by Under Armour’s newest breakthrough in fabric technology, Threadborne™, Under Armour and Curry have created a new shoe that breaks the mold of what to expect from basketball footwear, with innovative technology and design.

The New Curry 3-Dub Nation Heritage colorway from Under Armour

Tech Specifications:

• Threadborne™ is a new technology created by Under Armour’s innovators after examining a parachute, specifically paracord, a strong piece of material that is at the equipment’s core. Within the weave construction of paracord, Under Armour discovered ultra-durable yarns and rebuilt them into a fabric engineered to withstand the rigors of an 82 game season and support the two-time MVP as he transcends the limits of the game. The Curry 3 Threadborne fabric is comprised of braided thread that wraps around a larger, corded panel, delivering unparalleled lightweight directional strength and infinite support.
• Meta-Wing lines the heel of the Curry 3 to expressly support the subtalor joint—the joint that connects the ankle and heel bones, and is crucial in terrain balance, pivoting and shock absorption. The shoes create a snug fit that is unrivaled in stabilizing the foot, ensuring the most complete and efficient way to cut and move laterally on the basketball court.
• Anafoam is constructed on the medial to deliver body-mapped fit, lightweight structure and support.
• Charged Cushioning™ is a unique foam technology, which absorbs impact and converts it into a responsive burst, making each stride or change of direction explosive.
• Herringbone Traction: The return of Herringbone traction on the sole of the Curry 3 amplifies stability, grip and support on the court.

“Stephen is an exceptional basketball player whose talent is only exceeded by his will to be better every day, on-and-off the court,” said Dave Dombrow, Chief Design Officer. “Our team is inspired by Stephen’s passion for the game and his ingenuity has driven our partnership to create the world’s most technically innovative shoe in the Curry 3, and to keep driving performance footwear forward in-step with the back-to-back MVP.“

The Curry 3 mid style retails for $140.00 and debuts globally at UA.com and the UA Shop App on October 25 with the “Dub Nation Heritage” colorway. The “SC Camo” colorway follows with a release at retailers worldwide on October 27.

Bugaboo Opens First Ever U.S. Pop-Up Store In New York City

Dutch Mobility Company Encourages Consumers to Rediscover the Pleasure of Travel through An Unique In-Store Experience

Bugaboo, a global mobility company whose products enable people to explore and move freely through their world, announced today the opening of the company’s first U.S. pop-up store in New York City. Bugaboo recently shook up the travel industry with the announcement of its most recent mobility concept creation, the Bugaboo Boxer, inspired by the company’s existing and iconic strollers. Both will be available for hands-on testing at the store, providing a space for guests to experience the “power of push.”

Best known for revolutionizing the stroller market with the launch of their iconic stroller in 1999, Bugaboo designs products that make life on the road easier.

Bugaboo Boxer Luggage System 

The pop-up store will showcase the brand’s recently launched luggage system, the aforementioned Bugaboo Boxer, as well as its signature stroller line. The Bugaboo pop-up store is located at 224 Mulberry Street, New York, NY. The store will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

BUGABOO EXTENDS MOBILITY EXPERTISE WITH LAUNCH OF BUGABOO BOXER LUGGAGE SYSTEM

BUGABOO EXTENDS MOBILITY EXPERTISE WITH LAUNCH OF BUGABOO BOXER LUGGAGE SYSTEM (HERE WITH CABIN CASE LAPTOP BAG)

Bugaboo’s pop-up store simulates a traveler’s journey with the Bugaboo Boxer from packing at home, to airport security, all the way to the airplane aisle. Upon walking into the SoHo location, guests are welcomed into their “home” where the shopping experience and packing with the Bugaboo Boxer are explained through a live demo. The next stop on the journey takes place in a staged airport security entrance where the ease of moving with the Bugaboo Boxer is showcased. Finally, guests will be transported to the aisle of an airplane to get a firsthand feel for the effortlessness of stowing away the lightweight Cabin Case.

Neiman Marcus Presents The 90th Edition Of Its Iconic Christmas Book

 

Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts Include a Walk-On Role in the Broadway Musical Waitress

Exclusive Grammy Awards Experience, Private Quarterback Camp with Joe Montana and His and Hers Neiman Marcus Island Cars Featuring Lilly Pulitzer

 

The 2016 Christmas Book was unveiled today by luxury omni-channel retailer Neiman Marcus in Dallas. The 90th edition of this legendary book continues Neiman Marcus’ unmatched tradition of offering a selection of spectacular and unique holiday gifts sure to make even the wildest of dreams come true.

The arrival of the Christmas Book is considered by many to mark the official start of the holiday shopping season. This year’s edition carries on the Neiman Marcus tradition of presenting a refined selection of items across a broad range of categories for everyone on your holiday shopping list. With a new collection of fantasy gifts certain to satisfy even the most indulgent appetites, the Christmas Book features exceptional and distinctive gifts and experiences, including A Week at Three English Estates Experience, Slumber Party at the Neiman Marcus Flagship and Cobalt Valkyrie-X Private Plane in rose gold. This year’s featured car is an INFINITI Q60 Neiman Marcus Limited Edition. The “His & Hers” fantasy gift comes to life as the Neiman Marcus Island Cars Featuring Lilly Pulitzer.

“We are thrilled to present the 2016 fantasy gifts. Our team has scoured and vetted hundreds of one-of-a-kind items resulting in this highly curated collection of 12 items and experiences,” said Jim Gold, President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Neiman Marcus. “It is our goal to bring dreams to life!“

First published in 1926 as a 16-page booklet, the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book was initially intended as a Christmas card to the store’s best customers. Through the years, the book has maintained its personal touch while evolving into a legendary source for alluring and mystical gifts.

Each year, the Christmas Book features specially commissioned artwork and the covers are as anticipated as the contents. “With the goal of bringing a fashion component to the cover of the Christmas Book, we combined custom artwork by Maija Louekari with the beautiful face of Lindsey Wixson to create a final image photographed by Walter Chin. And, to add that bit of fantasy that Neiman Marcus is famous for, the lenticular printing animates Lindsey winking,” said Georgia Christensen, Vice President, Brand Creative Director of Neiman Marcus. This year represents only the second time a unique element has been used to animate the cover. In 1999, a Christmas tree glistened with butterflies thanks to a lenticular onset.

As in previous years, Neiman Marcus will donate a portion of the proceeds from the majority of fantasy gifts to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation which brings enriching art experiences to youth in communities nationwide. Donations will be made to the GRAMMY Foundation with the purchase of the Exclusive GRAMMY Awards Experience and to Akola Project with the purchase of the Optimist Akola Bracelet.

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The Love to Give Collection, also featured in the 2016 Christmas Book, includes over 40 perfectly priced items for gift giving. Each Neiman Marcus store gives ten percent of the proceeds to benefit youth arts education in Neiman Marcus communities across the country. An additional $50,000 from online sales goes to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Vendors participating in the Neiman Marcus Love to Give Collection include, but are not limited to, Hermès, Yves Saint Laurent beauty, Fresh, Lumio, Sugarfina, and Kate Spade. Prices range from $10 – $200.

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Hip stocking stuffers, cool hostess gifts and unexpected treats can be found in the Fun to Give Collection, also featured in the 2016 Christmas Book. These imaginative, easy to buy items (starting at just $5) are truly fun to give.

The fantasy gifts included in the 2016 Christmas Book include:

WALK-ON ROLE IN THE BROADWAY MUSICAL WAITRESS

WALK-ON ROLE IN THE BROADWAY MUSICAL WAITRESS

Perfect for the star in your life searching for their spotlight, one lucky recipient will receive a walk-on role in Broadway’s tastiest musical, Waitress, starring Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller and directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus. With music and lyrics by five-time GRAMMY Award nominee Sara Bareilles, the gift comes with four premium show tickets, a meet-and-greet with the Waitress cast, and a Waitress-themed pie-making lesson with the show’s pie consultant.

The gift comes with four premium show tickets, a meet-and-greet with the Waitress cast, and a Waitress-themed pie-making lesson with the show’s pie consultant.

With the purchase of the Broadway musical Waitress walk-on role, Neiman Marcus will donate $22,500 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one customer. ($30,000; page 120)

CURATED COLLECTION OF 36 CALDECOTT MEDAL-WINNING CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Send someone on a charming editorial exploration with a curated collection of 36 Caldecott Medal-winning children’s books. Perfect for children of any age, the books within this once-in-a-lifetime library span over almost 80 years and have each been bestowed the Caldecott Medal, given annually since 1938 to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children” as voted by the Association for Library Service to Children. Either first editions or early printings, all in original dust jackets, the collection has been gathered by two of New England’s finest book sellers, Johnnycake Books and E.M. Maurice Books.

CURATED COLLECTION OF 36 CALDECOTT MEDAL-WINNING CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The 36 Titles Included in the Caldecott Medal-winning Children’s Book Collection Fantasy Gift:

• 2015: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, illustrator Dan Santat
• 2014: Locomotive, illustrator Brian Floca
• 2013: This Is Not My Hat, illustrator Jon Klassen
• 2012: A Ball for Daisy, illustrator Chris Raschka
• 2009: The House in the Night, illustrator Beth Krommes
• 2008: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, illustrator Brian Selznick
• 2007: Flotsam, illustrator David Wiesner
• 2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrator Chris Raschka
• 2005: Kitten’s First Full Moon, illustrator Kevin Henkes
• 2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, illustrator Mordicai Gerstein
• 2003: My Friend Rabbit, illustrator Eric Rohmann
• 1999: Snowflake Bentley, illustrator Mary Azarian
• 1998: Rapunzel, illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky
• 1992: Tuesday, illustrator David Wiesner
• 1991: Black and White, illustrator David Macaulay
• 1986: The Polar Express, illustrator Chris Van Allsburg
• 1985: Saint George and the Dragon, illustrator Trina Schart Hyman
• 1982: Jumanji, illustrator Chris Van Allsburg
• 1981: Fables, illustrator Arnold Lobel
• 1978: Noah’s Ark, illustrator Peter Spier
• 1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, illustrators Diane and Leo Dillon
• 1974: Duffy and the Devil, illustrator Margot Zemach
• 1973: The Funny Little Woman, illustrator Blair Lent
• 1968: Drummer Hoff, illustrator Ed Emberley
• 1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine, illustrator Evaline Ness
• 1964: Where the Wild Things Are, illustrator Maurice Sendak
• 1963: The Snowy Day, illustrator Ezra Jack Keats
• 1959: Chanticleer and the Fox, illustrator Barbara Cooney
• 1954: Madeline’s Rescue, illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans
• 1951: The Egg Tree, illustrator Katherine Milhous
• 1944: Many Moons, illustrator Louis Slobodkin
• 1942: Make Way for Ducklings, illustrator Robert McCloskey
• 1941: They Were Strong and Good, illustrator Robert Lawson
• 1940: Abraham Lincoln, illustrators Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
• 1939: Mei Li, illustrator Thomas Handforth

With the purchase of the curated collection of 36 Caldecott Medal-winning children’s books, Neiman Marcus will donate $10,000 to The Heart of Neiman Marcus Foundation. Gift limited to one customer. Caldecott is a registered trademark of American Library Association, which does not sponsor or endorse this gift, Neiman Marcus, Johnnycake Books, or E.M. Maurice Books. ($100,000; page 122)

Plum Debuts First Super-Automatic Wine Appliance

New In-Home Wine Appliance Puts Any Two Standard Wine Bottles On Tap, Serving Each Glass, Preserved and Chilled, at the Touch of a Button

Plum, a new company transforming how wine is enjoyed with the first ever super-automatic wine appliance, today debuts its flagship product that enables a premium wine-by-the-glass experience. A sophisticated marriage of haute technology and elegant design, Plum automatically identifies the wine, individually chills each bottle, and preserves the wine so it can be enjoyed one glass at a time over a longer period of time. (Plum video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQAS3czcrnw )

(PRNewsFoto/Plum)

“Wine has not kept up with our [ever evolving] lifestyles. Most of us want to enjoy a glass of wine after work, pair a glass of wine with food, or be a great host and offer guests an option of red or white,” said David Koretz, Founder & CEO, Plum. “Too often I found myself not finishing a bottle and pouring oxidized wine down the drain, or not opening the bottle at all because I didn’t want to waste it. So I created Plum to enable wine lovers to enjoy the perfect glass of wine. Their wine collection, on their terms.“

Conceived to match any high-end kitchen, living room or wet bar, Plum has a molded, brushed stainless steel shell in #4 finish. The front panel is finished in a high-gloss black front with a UV coating and 7″ glass-paneled touchscreen. (PRNewsFoto/Plum)

Plum’s molded, brushed stainless steel shell curves around the device, providing a sophisticated aesthetic that is at home in kitchens, living rooms and wet bars. Inside, Plum holds two standard 750ml bottles with any closure – natural cork, artificial cork, engineered cork, and even metal screw caps. Plum preserves each wine for up to 90 days without removing the cork, and serves each wine at the perfect temperature for that varietal, transforming wine lovers’ enjoyment from by-the-bottle to by-the-glass.

A sophisticated marriage of haute technology and elegant design, Plum automatically identifies the wine, individually chills each bottle, and preserves the wine so it can be enjoyed one glass at a time over a longer period of time. (PRNewsFoto/Plum)

Plum is, perhaps, the most technically, sophisticated household wine appliance ever made. Each wine bottle is automatically identified by an integrated computer and cameras, and the labels appear on a full-color, seven-inch touchscreen that allows users see what they are drinking and to enjoy a taste or a glass of either wine at a touch.

Top Trend in Holiday 2016 Lighting: Points of Light LED Lightshow

Outdoor decorating is easier and more stunning than ever before in 2016 with the new Points of Light LED LightShow from the leading holiday lighting industry innovator, Gemmy Industries.

Points of Light LED LightShow (PRNewsFoto/Gemmy Industries)

The Points of Light LED LightShow (MSRP $34.98) sets up in minutes – simply stake it into the ground or set it up with a tripod, plug it in and switch it on – to transform a yard, home or event space into a holiday winter wonderland.

Points of Light offers 12 color combinations from white to multi-color options, including 98 separate lighting effects from static to falling animation in three speeds of fading effects. Points of Light also incorporates safe and energy-efficient LED technology.

“Our Points of Light LED projection is the easiest way to create maximum lighting impact with minimal effort,” said Gemmy Industries Vice President of Product Development Steven Harris. “Whether creating a magical starry sky, a winter snowfall or a brilliant color display, Points of Light is a customizable and innovative way to illuminate your holidays.“

Each energy-efficient Points of Light unit can create a 50-foot wide display. The projector includes a remote control for easy on/off and to change lighting effects.

Points of Light is presently available exclusively at Walmart stores and at www.Walmart.com. For more information, go to www.LEDPointsOfLight.com.

Under Armour Founder and CEO, Kevin Plank, to take CES 2017 Keynote Stage

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ today announced that Under Armour Founder and CEO, Kevin Plank, will take the CES® 2017 keynote stage. Plank’s keynote will take place on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 and will focus on how technology is shaping athletic performance and lifestyle now, and in the years to come.

Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, CES 2017 will run Jan. 5-8, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV.

“Kevin Plank is a true innovator,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. “His story began as a college football player whose dislike of sweaty cotton t-shirts led to the founding of what is now one of the fastest growing athletic performance companies in the world. He continues to innovate by putting technology front and center at Under Armour. The company’s participation in CES underscores the ever-expanding breadth of our show and the consumer tech industry overall. We can’t wait to welcome Kevin to our keynote stage and hear what he has in store for a company that has already invested close to $1 billion in bolstering the digital health and fitness communities.”

Plank has spent the last 20 years outfitting athletes in some of the world’s most innovative performance apparel, footwear and equipment. What began as a startup in his grandmother’s basement is now a global company on track to reach nearly $5 billion in revenue by the end of 2016.

Under Armour shared its vision for Connected Fitness at CES 2016 with the launch of UA HealthBox™, a suite of products designed to help athletes gain insight into their health, reach their goals and perform better. The company plans to take that focus a step further this year based on the input of the 185+ million members of its digital health and fitness community – the largest of its kind in the world.

The sports and fitness world is one where an athlete’s success hinges on milliseconds and millimeters; 95 companies that mirror Under Armour’s dedication to fitness and sports performance will exhibit in the Sports, Fitness and Health marketplaces at CES 2017.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Association also owns and produces CES® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years – the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, the technology trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry’s most relevant issues are addressed.

Registration for CES 2017 is now open. Visit CES.tech for more information. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

First CES 2017 Keynote Announced: NVIDIA CEO to Address Latest in Artificial Intelligence, Self-Driving Cars, Virtual Reality, Gaming

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ announced its first keynote speaker for CES® 2017: NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, who will deliver the event’s preshow address at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, CES will run Jan. 5-8, 2017, in Las Vegas, NV.

NVIDIA has spent the last two decades pioneering Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) computing. It invented the GPU in 1996 and has evolved it into a computer brain that gives humans the power to simulate virtual worlds and gives computers the intelligence to understand the real world. NVIDIA is now the world leader in AI computing — turning science fiction into reality.

Huang co-founded NVIDIA in 1993 and has served since then as president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors. Noted by Harvard Business Review as one of the world’s 100 best-performing CEOs, he is a recipient of the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award from the Global Semiconductor Association and has received other accolades, most notably the Daniel Epstein Engineering Management Award from the University of Southern California, and an honorary doctorate from Oregon State University. He is also a founding honoree of the U.S. Immigrant Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

The Autonomous Vehicle Marketplace — formally known as Vehicle Intelligence — has grown by 75 percent since its inception at CES 2014. NVIDIA will exhibit alongside automotive manufacturers in the North Hall at CES 2017. Plus, more than a dozen CES conference sessions are dedicated to autonomous vehicles and vehicle technology.

“NVIDIA plays a central role in some of the most important technology forces changing our world today,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. “Its work in artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, VR and gaming puts the company on the leading edge of the industry. Mr. Huang is a visionary CEO who consistently anticipates trends well before their arrival. I am especially pleased to welcome him to the keynote stage given the growth we’ve seen in all of these areas on the CES show floor.”

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies – 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world’s best known brands – enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Association also owns and produces CES® – the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA’s industry services.

CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years – the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, the technology trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry’s most relevant issues are addressed.

For a sneak-peek into Huang’s CES keynote address, check out what NVIDIA has to say about it. Registration for CES 2017 is now open. Visit CES.tech for more information. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at CES.tech and on social.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Releases “Renwick Gallery WONDER 360” Virtual Reality App

App Captures Experience of Blockbuster Exhibition at Its Renwick Gallery

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has launched an immersive 360-degree virtual reality (VR) app for Apple and Android mobile devices, “Renwick Gallery WONDER 360.” The app allows audiences to explore in 3-D the entirety of the museum’s 2015 blockbuster exhibition, “WONDER,” presented at its Renwick Gallery. It expands the visitor experience through emerging technologies and is the first VR mobile app that the Smithsonian has published.

“The museum has always embraced new technologies to bring our collection to people wherever they are,” said Betsy Broun, the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “We’re excited to use the latest virtual-reality technology to add a new dimension to the museum experience.“

The Renwick Gallery is the Smithsonian American Art Museum‘s branch for contemporary craft and decorative arts and is located on Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street N.W. and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25).

“WONDER” was the Renwick’s most popular exhibition to date, attracting more than 730,000 visitors from November 2015 through July 2016 and creating a sensation on social media. Nine leading contemporary artists — Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grade, Maya Lin and Leo Villareal — created site-specific, gallery-sized installations from an array of unexpected materials. “Renwick Gallery WONDER 360” offers users a virtual walk-through of the museum with 360-degree, 3-D panoramic views of all nine artists’ installations and videos of the artists discussing their works.

The app content was created by the museum’s media and technology office; the technical development came from software tools developed by San Francisco-based InstaVR Inc. It is available for free download via iTunes for iOS devices and Google Play for Android. Although a VR headset or viewer is not required to use the app, the 3-D feature can only be experienced when using such a viewer, such as Google Cardboard.

“‘Renwick Gallery WONDER 360‘ is our first major experiment with VR, and we’re excited to keep exploring the potential of this emerging technology,” said Sara Snyder, chief of the museum’s media and technology office. “The app captures the ‘WONDER’ exhibition as a moment in time and lets you carry the beauty of that experience around in your pocket, anywhere in the world. It represents a whole new way of sharing art with the public.”

Learn more about the project on the museum’s website at www.americanart.si.edu/multimedia/wonder360/.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum celebrates the vision and creativity of Americans with artworks in all media spanning more than three centuries. Its National Historic Landmark building is located at Eighth and F Streets N.W., above the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station. Museum hours are 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closed Dec. 25). Admission is free. Follow the museum on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook,YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Flickr, iTunes U and ArtBabble. Smithsonian information:(202) 633-1000. Museum information (recorded): (202) 633-7970. Website: americanart.si.edu.

Introducing ContaX – A Modern and Stylish Contact Lens Case

ContaX Cases Transform Your Outdated Methods Of Storage Into Modern Standards, With An Impressive Color Pallet That Allows You To Match Cases With Your “outfit Of The Day.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “more than 30 million people wear contact lenses in the United States.” Reasons for wearing contact lenses may vary from comfort to fashion. As such, we all wear contact lenses for different reasons. For some of us, it’s comfort and others it’s safety or even aesthetics. We also have different jobs, from working professionals to athletes or even busy parents. Yet, what we all have in common are the challenges we face in lens care – everything from sanitary cleaning to storage to even style.

ContaX, a new, highly bacteria-resistant contact lens case made with an elegant design and high quality material hat comes in a variety of colors to fit your individual style

Whatever the reason, we all need to ensure that our contact lenses are stored properly. ContaX, a new, highly bacteria-resistant contact lens case made with an elegant design and high quality material hat comes in a variety of colors to fit your individual style and have been developed with the user in mind. They are leak-proof, durable, collapsible, easy to use and easier to store than traditional cases. ContaX launched on Indiegogo on October 6, 2016.

The many colors of Contax

ContaX are are leak-proof, durable, collapsible, easy to use and easier to store than traditional cases.

So say goodbye to your old case, and join the ContaX Revolution.

(View the product video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjH_k_7lRAM)

“My quest to find a contemporary contact lens case led me to create ContaX. ContaX is elegance and style, with quality and functionality,” states Fauzia Lala, Founder of ContaX.

ContaX Cases Repel Bacteria In Three Ways:

• The fabrication process of ContaX prevents the formation of biofilm (i.e. the accumulation of bacteria) by making the inner surface a smooth gliding curve so that bacteria cannot stick to it.
• The material used in ContaX cases is higher grade and provides inherent microbial resistance.
• ContaX is more durable and heat resistant than traditional contact lens cases. This enables ContaX cases to be easily washed with hot water without disintegrating the material, making ContaX the SAFEST contact lens cases for your eyes

So Say Goodbye To Your Old Case, And Join The Contax Revolution!

www.contaxlenscase.com / https://angel.co/contax-6

Steal A Look From Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere With Rimmel London’s New Ground-Breaking GET THE LOOK DIGITAL Technology

Love a beauty look worn by a friend, model or celeb? Steal it and make it yours! Women are turning more and more to their peers and celebrities for inspiration on their makeup and fashion looks which explains the recent rise in popularity of beauty vloggers and Instagram accounts. Now Rimmel London brings it one step even further by allowing you to not only use these looks as inspiration but to try them out directly on yourself via their new app.

Rimmel London introduces a cutting-edge breakthrough in digital technology with its innovative new GET THE LOOK technology. Experience the first-ever personalized augmented reality mirror, which lets you try out make-up styles from the streets and pages of your favorite magazine. Think of it as your very own beauty consultant on your phone.

The launch of the Get the Look App coincides with Rimmel’s ongoing effort to give its Millennial consumers what they are really after. The new app comes just months after Rimmel’s very first International Vlogger contest, and is just an example of the many upcoming digital innovations and actions for the brand.

Now, for the very first time, you can point your smartphone at a friend, beauty ad, a photo or a person’s made-up face then virtually adopt (or recreate) a look using color-matched cosmetics by Rimmel. Like what you see? You can steal, try and click to buy.

Truly ground-breaking, the GET THE LOOK uses highly-advanced real-time tracking that detects make-up on faces in print and real life. This reading is compared with Rimmel’s extensive database to find the best matching shades of mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick, lipliner, blusher, bronzer and foundation to try out on your own image using your smartphone camera. No more pining away after all those high end beauty looks from the runway, with the new Get the Look App you can steal their looks straight from the fashion pages of your favorite magazine and make it your own with Rimmel.

You can even customize your virtual look by changing the shades and colors in real time thanks to the Rimmel website’s live try on 3D Technology – get as playful and creative as you dare. The accurate face-tracking technology cleverly ‘sees’ features and is intuitive enough to discern between facial contours, allowing the virtual make-up to stay in place when smiling and talking.

Get the London look in just one click. Want to try the Camden Punk look? Or get ready for a night in Chelsea? Rimmel has got you covered. Simply click on the “London Look” section of the website for pre-recorded looks designed by Rimmel.

Camillo Pane, Coty Executive Vice President global category development, comments: “I am very excited to unveil the next step in our Coty digital revolution with the Rimmel Get The Look app. Through ongoing research into our consumer needs, we learnt that our consumers are more inspired and driven to beauty purchases by looks they see on the street than by those created directly by beauty brands. Taking this into account, we have created our innovative Get the Look app that allows consumers to capture looks from the street with their phones and replicate it on themselves through the app using our Rimmel products and shades.”

More than just a mobile app, GET THE LOOK is also available on different platforms and devices thanks to the Rimmel London website. For the first time on a website, you can virtually try on make-up using your webcam and the ‘Try It On’ function on-screen. Test out all your fave Rimmel shades from the comfort of your bedroom.

Available: Download for free on iOS and Android app stores

The Peninsula Beijing: An Imperial Rebirth

The newly unveiled renovation of The Peninsula Beijing marks the latest chapter in The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels’ (HSH) long tradition of hospitality excellence in China. With a front row seat in the capital city, HSH’s hotels have witnessed the remarkable transition of China into an economic superpower.

A History of Excellence in the Chinese Capital

The Peninsula Beijing – Façade

The imperial rebirth of The Peninsula Beijing marks a new beginning for Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels in Beijing. The story began almost a century ago when HSH, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2016, assumed the management of the Grand Hotel des Wagons-Lits in Beijing in 1922.

Later, in 1981 HSH was invited by the Chinese Government to manage China’s first internationally managed joint-venture hotel, the Jianguo Hotel. Originally designed by pre-eminent architect K.Y. Cheung, The Peninsula Beijing opened in 1989 as The Palace Hotel, and was re-branded as The Peninsula Beijing in 2006, always occupying a space as the finest luxury hotel in China and a pioneer of contemporary design and luxury.

The Peninsula Beijing – Forecourt

Among The Peninsula’s many achievements since opening, The Peninsula Arcade was the first luxury shopping arcade in China when it opened in 1990. Many of the world’s most celebrated connoisseurs of the art of luxury, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hermes, opened their flagship China stores here.

Located in central Beijing, just a short walk from Tiananmen Square and the city’s historic cultural venues, The Peninsula Beijing has welcomed the world to Beijing and Beijing to the world for more than a quarter of a century, arguably the most exciting period in the nation’s 5,000-year history.

An Imperial Inspiration

The RMB 890 million (US$123 million) renovation of The Peninsula Beijing was conceived in 2013 by celebrated Hong Kong designer, and long-term Peninsula collaborator, Henry Leung of CAP Atelier. The inspiration behind the rebirth of The Peninsula Beijing is informed by the Middle Kingdom’s opulent imperial palaces and tranquil gardens, which provided a serene oasis for Chinese Emperors and nobility to meditate and relax.

Construction of the new Peninsula Beijing began in late 2015, and the project has been completed in phases to keep the hotel operational throughout the renovation period, making the magnitude of this project larger than any other that the group has undertaken. More than 600 workers were on site at the hotel during peak construction times, and more than 40 suppliers, designers, artisans, engineers and contractors came together to deliver this stunning transformation.

The history of the Middle Kingdom is one of astounding beauty; of scenic landscapes, remarkable architecture, exquisite art and unique cultural traditions. This spectacular and diverse land is the inspiration behind the reinvention of The Peninsula Beijing. Some of China’s finest artisans were commissioned to restyle the hotel using timeless luxury materials that provide guests with an authentic sense of China as a destination.

Whilst modern China continues to develop at breath-taking speed, The Peninsula Beijing remains mindful of preserving local heritage, culture and traditions – a trait that is evident throughout the hotel. By reviving imperial Chinese architecture, design and artisanal expertise from across the centuries, combined with modern Chinese art and proprietary Peninsula technology and service, The Peninsula Beijing upholds China’s noble traditions of artisanship and innovation, providing guests with an authentic sense of destination. The first allocation of restyled rooms became available to guests in August 2016, and the hotel renovation will be fully completed in early 2017.

Presenting the Most Spacious Guestrooms in Beijing

Chinese artistic expression extends across every floor the hotel, including the restyled guestrooms and suites. Designer Henry Leung has adopted a contemporary take on Chinese culture and heritage as the design concept for the new rooms and suites, ranging from the classical shapes and motifs of the furniture to the Chinese calligraphy painting-inspired fish mosaic in the bathrooms.

The Peninsula Beijing – Deluxe Room Living room and work desk

The Peninsula Beijng – Deluxe Room Twin Bed

With guest comfort and convenience being at the center of the reconstruction, the hotel’s original 525 rooms and suites have been reduced and re-imagined to just 230 suite-style rooms, each offering a separate bedroom, living room, bathroom and dressing room. With standard room at an average of 65 square meters, the standard rooms are now the largest in Beijing, and among the most spacious in China. They are also the most personalized guestrooms in the world, with proprietary in-room technology delivering 11 languages at the touch of a fingertip, and paperless hotel and city information and services just a click away. Each room has its own self-contained ample dressing area with a valet box and nail dryer, while guests also have the added benefit of complimentary VOIP calls and WiFi.

The Peninsula Beijing – Beijing Suite Living Room

The Peninsula Beijing – Beijing Suite Living Room

The Peninsula Beijing takes suites to the next level of space and freedom. A collection of 61 suites offers inspired design and technological innovations to become the most sought-after guest accommodations in Beijing. In fact, suites comprise 25 percent of the hotel inventory – the highest percentage in The Peninsula group, and among the highest percentage for a luxury hotel in Beijing. The hotel’s stunning theme suites include The Peninsula Suite – styled after a Chinese aristocrat’s home – and 17 re-imagined Beijing Suites, while the Loft Collection of duplex rooms offers a chic and sophisticated twist on urban living.

The Peninsula Beijing – Beijing Suite Living Room

The Peninsula Beijing – Beijing Suite Master Bedroom

A loft-style collection of duplex rooms on the top floor of the hotel offers a chic and sophisticated twist. Unique in China, the duplex rooms are 69 square meters in size and feature floor-to-ceiling windows, affording expansive views over Beijing from the master bedroom upstairs, and from the entry lobby and living room downstairs.

Karen Harvey Consulting Group Announces New High Profile Speakers and Moderators for its 3rd Annual Fashion Tech Forum (FTF)

Speakers and Activations Now Include Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Intel, Tamara Mellon, Movado, Away, Evrythng, and KidBox

Moderators Now Include Those From: Fast Company, Digital Times, Business of Fashion, and Refinery29

Karen Harvey, CEO of Karen Harvey Consulting Group is pleased to announce that some of the most important leaders in Fashion Tech will now be joining Fashion Tech Forum (FTF) on October 13 at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn. Ms. Harvey launched Fashion Tech Forum in 2014 to provide a platform for the fashion, retail, technology and investment communities to better connect and collaborate on how to work together in the future.

The annual conference is an invitation-only event with 800+ industry leaders. Last year, Fashion Tech Forum brought together the most exceptional CEO’s, innovators, thinkers, founders and investors in fashion, retail, media and technology. This year’s conference will engage Founders and CEOs in sharing their stories of leadership and transformation.

Karen Harvey Consulting Group Announces New High Profile Speakers and Moderators for its 3rd Annual Fashion Tech Forum (FTF) At Duggal Greenhouse In Brooklyn On October 13th, 2016 (PRNewsFoto/Karen Harvey Consulting Group)

FTF 2016, which was officially announced on August 3^rd is a platform for the fashion and technology sectors to gather for powerful conversation and to share new information fostering future collaboration. CEO’s, founders, leaders and investors from both sectors will discuss a broad range of issues, fueling the genesis of the hybrid companies of the future.

Verizon‘s Chief Marketing Officer Diego Scotti will talk about bringing Verizon’s mission to deliver the promise of a digital world to the forefront as they continue to evolve into a lifestyle and entertainment brand engaging with consumers across all aspects of their lives.

EBay (Nasdaq: EBAY), one of FTF’s original partners, will participate again as Bradford Shellhammer their Head of Curation and Merchandising on the eBay Innovation team will lead a discussion on human-led curation. Michael Preysman, Founder and CEO of Everlane returns to FTF’s stage along with Head of Product and Design Rebekka Bay.

Laurent Potdevin, CEO of Lululemon (Nasdaq: LULU), and Creative Director Lee Holman will share their ongoing commitment to innovation, authenticity and creating a design-led company.

Other keynote speakers will include: Robbie Myers, Editor in Chief of ELLE, who will share her journey in transforming ELLE into a cultural game-changer for women; and in the areas of evolving fashion companies Diane von Furstenberg along with the brand’s CEO, Paolo Riva and new Chief Creative Officer, Jonathan Saunders will share their transformative experiences.

Ganesh Srivats, VP North American Sales from Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) shares the advancement of luxury retail experiences.

As the leader in mobile storytelling platforms, Snapchat‘s Peter Sellis, Head of Revenue Product, along with Snapchat‘s Farnaz Azmoodeh, Director of Engineering, will discuss how the platform is transforming retail experiences.

New Additions and Updates Being Announced Today Include:

• Levi’s Strauss & Co: Chip Bergh, CEO interviewed by David Lidsky, Deputy Editor, Fast Company and Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL): Ivan Poupyrev (ATAP) and Levi’s Paul Dillinger, VP, Head of Global Product Innovation, to be interviewed by Elizabeth Segran, Staff Writer, Fast Company about their joint initiative, Project Jaquard.
• Intel: Sandra Lopez, VP & GM, Wearables to be interviewed around the surging value of data as an essential business commodity.
• Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA): Ganesh Srivats, VP, North American Sales to be interviewed by Piers Fawkes, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, PSFK on the advancement of luxury retail.
• Sarah Robb O’Hagan: Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Founder, CEO and author of the upcoming book of the same name, EXTREMEYOU will be giving an inspirational keynote.
• KidBox: Haim Dabbah, Founder, and Miki Berardelli, CEO, will be talking about the first kids style box that combines cool brands, meaningful savings, and a mission to clothe children in need. They’ll be interviewed by Rebecca Jarvis, Chief Business, Technology, & Economics Correspondent, ABC News.
• Emblematic Group: Jamie Pallot, Co-Founder, will be making opening remarks to kickoff this year’s event as one of our hosts for the day.
• Theory: Andrew Rosen, CEO, and Investor, and Former Chairman and CEO of Coach: Lew Frankfort, to be interviewed by Lauren Sherman, New York Editor, Business of Fashion.
• TMellon Enterprises LLC: Tamara Mellon, President, Movado: Efraim Grinberg, CEO and Maison de Mode: Amanda Hearst and Hassan Pierre, Co-Founders to be interviewed by Christene Barberich, Refinery29.
• Evrythng: Andy Hobsbawm, Co-Founder & CMO, Away: Steph Korey, Co-founder and TBC to be interviewed by Robin Raskin, Digital Times on the future of the Innovation of Things (IoT).

“From Snapchat to lululemon the 3^rd Annual Fashion Tech Forum brings together our vision for sharing powerful insights that are important for the leaders of both fashion and technology companies as they plan their strategy for the future. As it is my commitment to provide content from the most senior leaders from both sectors, ensuring that our C-level audience will be inspired, I am pleased to announce these new additions to our lineup. They are the experts bringing fashion and technology together and they will share both their challenges and their advances on the journey to shaping the next decade of product, retail, and innovations that will add value to all of our lives.” states Ms. Harvey

The Karen Harvey Consulting Group is an international consulting firm focused on executive search, brand incubation and advisory services for luxury, fashion, retail and innovation-driven companies. In addition to FTF, the firm also launched INDX, a two-sided marketplace for vetted, world-class creative talent to discover, connect and seek employment opportunities with top brands. Karen Harvey Consulting has earned international recognition for bringing some of the industry’s most successful CEOs and creative leaders to powerful global companies. The company is based in New York and London.

Hotels & Hospitality: The Peninsula New York Unveils New Signature Offering, The Fifth Avenue Suite

The Peninsula New York announces the newest addition to the hotel’s collection of signature suites, with the unveiling of The Fifth Avenue Suite. Located on the 17th floor and boasting spectacular views of Fifth Avenue, the new suite spans over 2,500 sq. ft. and is now the second largest at the Forbes Five Star and AAA Five Diamond rated property, with an elegant dining room, expansive living room, gourmet kitchen and custom handcrafted touches by world-renowned artisans. The Fifth Avenue Suite also marks the introduction of The Peninsula group’s signature advanced guest room tablet technology to the hotel.

The Peninsula New York’s The Fifth Avenue Suite Living Room

Designed by New York-based Bill Rooney of Bill Rooney Studio Inc. to reflect a modern design reminiscent of a grand New York apartment, the one-bedroom suite opens to a crisp entryway complete with fully paneled white leather walls and black and white granite flooring to exude a chic, yet elegant look. An expansive, bright living room has been intentionally designed to highlight the stunning views of Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue from the oversized windows included within. The room features polished fine wood-trimmed walls with herringbone walnut flooring, an 80-inch flat screen television and relaxing seating area focusing around the views of Fifth Avenue.

The Peninsula New York’s Fifth Avenue Suite’s In-Room Office Area

The Fifth Avenue Suite Dining Room

The stunning 10-seat dining room can be combined or separated from the living room by hand-crafted, decorative glass panel doors with a New York-inspired geometric motif created by local artisan, Michael Glickman. Diners will be enveloped by hand-painted floral motif murals by Hong Kong-based artist David Qian. A gourmet kitchen with state-of-the-art Gaggenau appliances connects to the dining room, complete with an interior wine cellar to accommodate up to 50 bottles of wine.

The Peninsula New York’s The Fifth Avenue Suite Kitchen

In the bedroom, a custom-made headboard crafted from embossed leather to highlight the New York skyline has been hand sculpted by London-based artist, Helen Amy Murray. A southern-facing window with views that expand down Fifth Avenue delivers an ideal backdrop of the city scape below, inclusive of a bird’s eye view of the Museum of Modern Art’s Sculpture Garden.

The Peninsula New York’s The Fifth Avenue Suite Bedroom