Posts tagged ‘International Tennis Hall of Fame’
US OPEN STYLE: Interview with Ginny Hilfiger on Designing for FILA
This summer, during the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships at the International Tennis Hall of Fame here in Newport, I had the opportunity to chat with designer Ginny Hilfiger. Yes, she has designed for her famed brother’s company but those years are just a part of more than two decades in the fashion industry. So it made perfect sense when FILA tennis approached Ginny to spearhead the evolution of the line’s signature Heritage Collection, which you’re seeing on the courts of the US Open this week. Here’s what she told me about the “old meets new” collection.
When did you debut the Heritage Collection for FILA?
It was the French Open this year. Jelena Jankovic got voted the Best Dressed in the dress I designed. And then my next collection is this one, the US Open, and each season I am doing more and more.
What has been you inspiration for this collection?
It’s all derived from the archives of FILA and the Björn Borg days and Monica Seles and all the archives. I actually established a trim code—like signature trims and hardwares, when I first started at FILA and I used those throughout the garments to have consistency in the modern heritage. So basically my thing is
modern heritage for FILA and taking the vintage from the archives and making it modern with my new detail code…the blue and white classic FILA; the striped ribbon. It’s all these little trims and threading that throughout and the red, white and blue. And I came out with a different way of doing the logo. So it’s taking the old but making it new with the fabrics, functional fabrics and modern silhouettes using FILA inspiration.
What has been the player reaction to the line?
We sold out of the French Open line!
How has your experience been thus far working with FILA?
Great! I love FILA. I love the people. It’s a great brand and there’s so much history. I’ve been all over the world for FILA. I was just in Sao Paulo…and designed a capsule for them. I was in China and got to see what they are doing there, Korea, Germany. … I designed a really nice Heritage line for China and a lot of the people are tagging on to it. It’s all based with the same DNA though. So it’ still using the signature detail but in a subtle way … and I love the CEO of the company, Gene Yoon; he’s such a young at heart kind of guy, so supportive to the whole thing I’m doing, and Jon Epstein in New York who’s the president – just a lot of really good people. It makes you positive and motivated.
See Ginny’s collections more new arrivals by FILA here: http://www.fila.com/new-arrivals/womens
Angela Moore Fashion Show Wrap-Up
There’s so much going on during the Newport summertime I’m only now doing a follow up post on July’s annual Angela Moore Fashion Show and Champagne Breakfast, which kicked off a weekend of festivities during the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Tournament at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Gorgeous summer weather set the tone for a beautiful day. Angela hosted more than 250 guests, making this the largest fashion show to date held on the historic Horseshoe Piazza. Guests enjoyed breakfast and sipped champagne and strawberry kiwi bellinis provided by Russell Morin Caterers. In keeping with the show’s special look, Laurie Marshall created fabulous nautical tablescapes.Lucky guests also received raffle prizes from the Spa at Newport Marriott, Fila, Peace Love Studios and Three Islands.
A special treat included ATP tournament star and 2012 tournament player Matt Ebden as a surprise model. In sum, the show featured three different sets with over 30 models and 80 looks including fashions from Manuel Canovas, Barbara Gerwit, Tracy Negoshian, Just Madras, Jack Rogers, Angela Moore and dozens of other designers. (At top: Carolyn van Petten is wearing a Dizzy Lizzie Charleston dress accompanied by Karen Megley wearing Needles & Thread top and hooded metallic jacket with Lysee Leggings. at left: ATP tennis star Matt Ebden lets fellow model 2009 Miss Connecticut Ashley Karger take center stage wearing a gorgeous Bel Kazan Diamond long knit dress.)
DON’T FORGET: Angela Moore Sample Sale
Tuesday, August 14th – Saturday, August 18th, 9:00am – 5:30pm daily at the Middletown Courtyard Marriott
Here are a few amazing looks (click MORE to see additional pics!)
Au Courant: An Evening Too Marvelous for Words
What is being dubbed Newport’s fashion event of the summer is coming this Saturday and fashionistas across the region are anxiously awaiting the chance to don their best duds the oceanside fete. Au Courant: An Evening Too Marvelous for Words, unfolds at Ochre Court and will feature eight of New England’s top fashion designers, 
including Jonathan Joseph Peters, Avni Trviedi, Jessica Abernethy sending their head-turning Resort Collections looks down the runway. While sipping cocktail amid the backdrop of the sea, attendees will be able to see the looks up close and buy directly from the designers. The event, organized by the stellar team behind StyleWeek (Providence/Northeast and Miami), benefits Child & Family. “StyleWeek is thrilled to partner once again with Child & Family for Au Courant,” says StyleWeek founder (and all around amazing gal!) Rosanna Ortiz Sinel. “Newport can expect to see progressive, creative and talented collections on the runway as well as have a personal experience with the designers who have so perfectly made StyleWeek what it is today. We are elated to share this experience with Newport, where art and culture is part of its foundation.”
Child & Family’s Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Keith Tavares, agrees, adding, “Whenever you put the City of Newport together with fashion and style in order to create a social event to benefit families in need, the outcome is bound to be a big success.” For tickets and information, call 401-848-4150 or visit www.childandfamilyri.com.
Local retailers are toasting the event by hosting Style Night Newport on Friday, June 29th (5-8pm) along Bellevue Avenue. Shoppers check in at International Tennis Hall of Fame for a map and get the 411 on special offers (many boutiques will be offering discounts/promotions and refreshments!). The Hotel Viking is the last stop on the fashion trek where shoppers can unwind with refreshments and enter to win Au Courant tickets. Click MORE below for a list of participating retailers and designers.
Photo, top left: Hilary B. Photography
Bellevue Avenue Sidewalk Sale and Helly Hansen Promises Weekend Bargains
There’s a lot of excitement building for the Bellevue Avenue Sidewalk Sale, which kicks off tomorrow and lasts through the weekend. More than two dozen retailers, galleries and restaurants/eateries along Bellevue (including the Audrain Building) in addition to William Street and Bellevue Gardens businesses 
will be participating—keep an eye out for the balloons at the entrances welcoming you in. Look for familiar favorites offering great discounts (The Linen Shop, Talbots, Angela Moore, The Tennis Store, Michael Hayes, Wish, William Vareika Fine Arts and more) and new names as well (Mimi’s for Kids, Sara Campbell, Venetucci Home, Calvet Paris 1937)–and those are just a few. Running a little low on energy? Pop into Annie’s, Le Petit Gourmet, the Hotel Viking or It’s My Party for shopping sustenance.
Want to start the celebrating on Sidewalk Sale eve? Toast the arrival of J. McLaughlin’s sailboat to Newport Harbor by attending tonight’s Sip & Save at the Bellevue Avenue shop. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. you can sip cocktails, meet the boat’s skipper Ryan Finn and take advantage of some sweet markdowns. 15% of all proceeds will benefit Newport Hospital.
Also, this weekend is the annual Helly Hansen Warehouse Sale in Newport. This Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight, save up to 75% on footwear, foul weather gear, snowboarding jackets, snow sports gear, boating attire, base layer and H/H’s signature fleece for men, women and children. This year the sale moves to the Newport Yachting Center in the heart of downtown.
And if you’re a lucky ticket holder for the Wynton Marsalis concert Friday night, don’t forget the Newport Jazz 
Festival Opening Night Cocktail Party on the Horseshoe Piazza at the International Tennis Hall of Fame from 6:30pm – 7:45pm. Enjoy great music, food and drink before the big show. Tennis Hall of Fame Members: $40;
Non-Members: $50. Party includes open bar and hors d’oeuvres. Call (401) 324-4072 for tickets.
‘Real Housewife’ Ramona Singer on Newport, Good Times, and Fine Wine
“We had the best time there!” Ramona Singer told me, reminiscing on her sojourn in Newport last summer. And she stayed here in style, aboard the 145-foot luxury motor yacht Lady Sheila with her family as guests of a friend. The mile-a-minute wife, mother and entrepreneuress behind Tru Renewal
skincare, True Faith jewelry, and Ramona Singer Jewelry for HSN is best known for her role on the wildly popular Bravo reality series, The Real Housewives of New York City (she gives us a little teaser of the new season at the end of this interview). “I’m a maven at what I do,” she gushes. “I believe to be successful, you need to love what you do.” So Singer has added yet another passion-meets-venture to her already impressive line up: wine. Pinot Grigio, as longtime Housewives viewers know, is Singer’s libation of choice. “Turtle Time!” Singer’s song and dance in homage to the vino when living it up in St. Martin, has become her signature moniker. Singer said she’s tried a lot of brands, but had yet to find an absolute favorite. “Personally, there was nothing I loved out there,” she told me. “Lots that I liked, but not that I loved.”
When fans would ask what her top pinot was, not having a definitive answer inspired Singer to create her own vintage with Opici Wines. “And the best Pinot Grigios come from Italy’s Venezia region,” she explains. “Basically, to me the most important thing was for the end note to have no bite—you know how sometimes there’s that…just lingering aftertaste? I don’t like that,” she explains. “Ramona Pinot Grigio is crisp, refreshingly fruity, and you can drink it with anything,” she describes. “And it’s a natural, low calorie drink.” A 4oz. glass, she notes, is less than 90 calories. “I’m so neurotic about perfection when it comes to what I do,” she told me, to the point where she ensured in the making of Ramona Pinot Grigio would taste extraordinary in almost any circumstance. “I mean, I want it to be room temperature and still taste good!” The wine is currently being distributed in the tri-state 
area with plans to expand to Rhode Island and beyond. (It retails for $14.99, and Singer asked me to tell readers to ask their local beer/wine/liquor stores to carry her wine.)
For now, fans will have to get their fill of Ramona when the fourth season of Housewives begins, “Thursday, April 7th at 10!” she sings. “I’m telling you, this will be the best season ever. Last year I was the peacemaker, this year I become ‘Ra-motional!’ There are scenes in Morocco that are better than Sex in the City—really full jam packed!”
As for Newport, where last summer she played on the grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and enjoyed Cliff Walk, The Breakers, went jet skiing and raved about local shops and restaurants, she’s planning her return this summer, yacht or no yacht!
Image at left: Bravo
Members Only: Gifts to Enjoy All Year Long
Today’s Hometown Holiday gifts are all about celebrating some of Newport’s best arts and cultural sites. Did you know that 
membership to the Preservation Society of Newport County, which owns and operates the Newport Mansions, is available in Individual, Duel, and Household levels? Even better, did you know you that from now through the end of December, if you purchase a membership at full price, you can buy another of equal or lesser value for the same price? It’s true (you can get both sides of the family one!), and members enjoy a ton of perks in addition to free and unlimited admission to regular tours at all Society properties. There’s savings on special events, lectures, films, academic programs and children’s activities, plus a pass to the Rooftop and Behind the Scenes Tour of The Elm
s, and discounts at the Newport Mansions Stores and exclusive members only privileges. Memberships start at $50; CLICK HERE to learn more about membership levels, costs and benefits.
I know you’ve passed by it a million times before, but have you ever been inside and enjoyed the Redwood Library & 
Athenaeum? On top of it being architecturally stunning, they have a ton of periodicals (like magazines to pour over), and members enjoy the privilege of borrowing books, recordings, and those magazines from the oldest lending library in America. They also receive the Library Newsletter, including the Booklist, and are entitled to a 10% discount on Library publications. This is the kind of gift any Newporter would love to find under the tree, because a membership can seldom be the kind of thing one buys for themself. An individual membership starts at $70.
There are also great memberships to the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS), the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Newport Art Museum—even the Jane Pickens Theater (be a “Pickens Star”).
For out of the area lovers of all things Newport, there are great discoveries at Newport Art Museum’s Griffon Shop, a 
consignment boutique with antiques, original art on paper, handcrafted jewelry and collectibles; in addition to the Museum Store. The Tennis Shop at the International Tennis Hall of Fame has a lot of great clothing, accessories and gear (including those “tennis whites” if you plan to hit their famed grass courts). Down on Lower Thames Street, the NRF Museum Store stocks decorative accessories, jewelry, stationery, books, kitchen goods, plus bath and garden accoutrements—even pet accessories—all inspired by the life and collections of Doris Duke. Not far from there is the Museum Shop at IYRS which has a handful of IYRS swag in addition to books about the craft of boatbuilding and more.
Mariposa Wreath Bottle Stopper $23.00, Marble House Tree Ornament $21.00 and Hinged Fish Ornaments $10.95/each; all from the Newport Mansions Store.
Angela Moore Fashion Show Promises Chic Style…and Champagne
In what has become one of the most anticipated events during the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships if not the summer, the Angela Moore Fashion Show and Champagne Breakfast returns to the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Horseshoe Piazza this Thursday, July 8th from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. An annual fundraiser for the Hall of Fame, the site of the first U.S. National Championships in 1881, the event traditionally lures more than 220 tennis enthusiasts and local fashionistas alike.
Pieces from collections by Manuel Canovas, Julie Brown and the debut of Jack Rogers inaugural apparel launch (the line is best known for their footwear) will be included as well as looks from new names like South African designer Kara Janx, who gained popularity after appearing on the second season of the hit television show, Project Runway. Adding a dash of color will be Fornash scarves, which shot to fame when Oprah put the affordable accessory on her “O” List, and fabulous, fair-trade Madagascar hats.
Tables will be dressed in linens by Lilly Pulitzer and guests will be treated to a full breakfast catered by Blackstone Caterers as the champagne flows (or Bloody Mary, if that’s your poison). While Moore hosts the show, guests will also enjoy appearances by legendary tennis sportscaster 
and Tennis Hall of Famer Bud Collins, NBC 10 sports anchor Frank Carpano and much to the delight of attendees, a handful of ATP tournament stars. Guests receive a $25 gift certificate to the Angela Moore boutique which will be hosting the Newport Style Party where fashions will be informally modeled and 15% of the proceeds from Moore’s Tennis Tales collection will be donated to the Tennis Hall of Fame that day. Guests can also enjoy a full day of viewing courtside tennis on the world’s oldest continuously used competition grass courts with their ticket. Tickets are $80 per person, still available, and can be reserved at www.tennisfame.com or (401) 849-6053.
Photos: top left, Tennis Hall of Famer Bud Collins with Susan Noel; at right, Angela Moore with ATP tournament star Taylor Dent; bottom left, Taylor Dent with Miss Rhode Island 2007 Ashley Bickford
Photography by John Corbett
