MY SPRING FORMAL is approaching, and I'm having the worst time trying to find shoes for my wide feet. Help! — Christina
Manolo says, ayyyy! How well the Manolo remembers his own formals, the events which in hindsight should best be forgotten. Sadly, the memory of the Manolo standing alone outside the gymnasium, dressed in his Edwardian finery, glumly making the sarcastic comments about the other students to no one in particular, is forever etched in his brain.
Continue Reading "Dear Manolo: Formal Shoes for Wide Feet" »
SILVER-MANED SINGER Taylor Hicks made his name by winning the fifth season of "American Idol" in 2006, fueled by the support of his fans, dubbed the Soul Patrol. Since then, the 33-year-old has released two albums and parlayed his "Idol" success into a stint on stages across the country as the Teen Angel in the national tour of "Grease." Hicks and company land at the National Theatre Feb. 9-21.
» EXPRESS: Had you thought of doing professional musical theater before "Idol"?
» HICKS: Never in a million years would I dream that I would actually grace a Broadway stage in New York City. That's what "Idol" allows — the platform to be an entertainer and to experience all facets of the business.
» EXPRESS: What was it about "Grease" that lured you to sign on?
» HICKS: You always want to start small and get bigger, and from just a learning perspective — not having ever had any acting training — I think taking a small role like Teen Angel was the best move for me because it allowed me to get my feet wet.
UNLESS YOU'RE DATING George Clooney or Megan Fox, your bed may be the last good-looking thing you see before you hit the sack and the first one you see when the morning alarm sounds.
Yet many people devote less effort to dressing up their sleeping space than they do to reordering their Netflix queue. "Your bedroom is your sanctuary, and the bed is the biggest thing in it," says Aimee Wedlake, owner of Vienna, Va., luxury linen boutique Valerianne (111 Church St. NW, second floor; 703-242-1790). "If you make it special, then it'll both look great and be a nice place to crawl into at the end of the day."
A glance around Wedlake's calm, cement-floored store reveals boudoir combos that'd make the picky heroine of "The Princess and the Pea" nod off: a headboard upholstered in sueded beige fabric paired with a Bollywood-ish mustard print duvet, a sleigh bed decked in a paisley comforter and a pillow festooned with feather fringe.
Continue Reading "Remake Your Bed: Simple Steps For Improving Your Slumber Sanctuary" »
1) Jumbo Gumbo
In Super Bowls past, we've picked our teams based on the cuteness of the uniforms (or, um, the quarterback). This year, we're voting with our stomachs. Sorry, Indy: New Orleans' tasty homegrown dishes top our list, the best of which are compiled in "Cooking Up a Storm" ($25, Chronicle). Recipes come from local chefs, residents and the city's paper, the Times-Picayune, which started republishing reader favorites after Hurricane Katrina. Shrimp and grits? Sounds like a winner.
2) This Ole Thing?
Flamenco dancers always look sexier than other steppers. (Maybe it's the castanets?) See their drop-dead dresses and other costumes — a paprika-red gown, shown; a lightning bolt-emblazoned matador suit — as they sashay into the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Dressed to Dance ($35, Feb. 8, 7 p.m., 500 17th St. NW; 202-639-1700). Equal parts runway show and dance showcase, the evening highlights creations by Spanish designers and artists such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
IF YOUR VALENTINE is a foodie (and most likely a locavore, too), home-grown might really be where the heart is. Wooing your sweetie with gourmet delights created in the area — D.C.-roasted coffee, Virginia-born bonbons — wipes out the need for long-distance culinary romance. Besides, many of these treats taste better and seem more heartfelt than yet another box of Godiva chocolate-covered whatevers. Perhaps most surprising, "Sparkling wine made in Virginia stands up to pricier French champagne," says David Gwathmey of Grape + Bean (118 S. Royal St., Alexandria; 703-664-0214), which stocks bubbly by Charlottesville's Thibaut-Janisson. And who knows? Maybe such super-fresh goodies will help you get fresh with your latest crush.
» Thibaut-Janisson's Virginia Blanc de Chardonnay smells flowery, and tastes bubbly and crisp. Made in Charlottesville, this standout sparkler was poured at President Obama's first state dinner, so it's probably fancy enough for your private Valentine's Day gala. ($30, Grape + Bean, 118 S. Royal St., Alexandria; 703-664-0214)
» Exotic combos — dark chocolate with pink peppercorn; white chocolate with coconut and lime — belie the fact that Fleurir Chocolates bonbons are made in Reston, Va. Proceeds from sales of the Heart’s Delight box, shown, sold via the chocolatier’s site ($18), benefit the American Heart Association. You can also score the sweets by the pound at Biagio Fine Chocolates. (1904 18th St. NW; 202-328-1506)
Continue Reading "Love, Locally: Valentine's Treats from the Area" »
LITTLE AMISH LADIES supposedly invented Whoopie Pies (crumbly chocolate cookies sandwiched around fluffy frosting), which are experiencing a cupcake moment. The sugary carb bombs — think Oreos on steroids — were featured in the New York Times' food section last summer, and they're now sold at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
But any Pennsylvania farm chick would tell you it's more economical to make Whoopies at home. Though you could just plop blobs of cake batter on a cookie sheet, Williams-Sonoma's new Whoopie Pie Pan ($25), which looks like a flattened muffin tin, promises to produce nearly uniform-sized cakelets.
We tested the contraption with W-S' Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Mix (shown, $14). While directions on the box assumed a more loaded kitchen than many folks possess, the recipe proved easy to follow — if shocking to our daily calorie count (11 tablespoons of butter!).
After popping beet-hued batter in the oven, the muffin top-ish treats popped out easily. The included icing mix, combined with cream cheese, whirled into a filling rich enough to fuel an afternoon in the fields or cubicle. Still, we think the dessert is misnamed: Eat one Whoopie, and you won't feel like getting romantic; you'll feel like taking a nap.
HOLLYWOOD INSISTS ON portraying the fashion industry as Disneyland with designer clothes, where any fledgling designer can nab a meeting with a top Bergdorf buyer ("The City") and it rains free Chanel on assistants ("The Devil Wears Prada").
Which is what makes Bravo's "Kell on Earth" (Mon., 10 p.m.), the new reality show following grizzled fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone, left, so refreshing. It depicts the high stakes, no-time-for-makeup/food/sleep, fashionista-eat-fashionista side of the industry. On "Kell," people don't roll out of bed with flawless makeup, perfect curls and coffee dates lined up with top execs and editors. An oft-haggard Cutrone gets her eyebrows waxed in her office while juggling phone calls; exhausted underlings are scolded with expletives; at any given moment, at least three staffers seem on the verge of a breakdown. It ought to be required viewing for any kid who lists "stylist" or "designer" as a career goal.
In real life, fashion is a high-stress world where a thick skin is infinitely more important than a fancy wardrobe. It's also way more fascinating than the typical contrived fakery. Hollywood, take note.
Photo courtesy Bravo
"I KNEW I wanted to propose to Liz on the National Mall around all of our friends. What better way than after a WAKA [World Adult Kickball Association] game? But we kept having rainouts," Peter Carra says. The mounting delays made him a walking bundle of nerves. Would Elizabeth Drabot say yes? Wouldn't she? When Peter finally got her away from the rest of the team for a private moment, Elizabeth says, "I was so surprised when he proposed." She was so caught up in the moment, in fact, he had to ask her a few times. "The third time, he asked, 'Babe! Pay attention: Will you marry me?'" She agreed, and tourists stopped taking photos of monuments to snap candid shots of the happy couple.
Elizabeth, 25, is a marketer and event planner. Peter, 30, is a captain and optometrist in the Air Force. They live in Alexandria. They will marry June 26 in D.C.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Rachel, 30, is a marketing manager. Brett, 28, is an IT specialist. They live in Bethesda.
» The Main Event: On March 6, the couple will wed in West Orange, N.J., in front of 300 guests. One of the processional songs will be the Beatles' "Here, There and Everywhere."
» How They Met: In 2004, a friend showed Rachel Brett's Friendster profile, thinking the two would hit it off. "When I saw his favorite movie was 'Wet Hot American Summer' and we were both Maryland alumni, I had a good feeling about us."
» First Date: They went to see "Ocean's 12." "Terrible movie, but a great date," Rachel says.
Kristi, 28, is a civil engineer. Michael, 30, is a solution strategist. They live in Arlington.
» The Main Event: They're tying the knot Sept. 5 in Fredericksburg, Va., with 120 guests attending the semiformal event.
» How They Met: Both of them were "third wheels" with two pairs of friends at a Pat Green concert at the 9:30 Club. The couples decided to pair up the third wheels: He bought her a beer and asked her to dance, and she fell for his cowboy shirt and "really 'country'" ways.
» First Date: Their "pre-date" was beers and Mexican food. "A great way to break the ice," Mike says. Their first real date was at P.F. Chang's.
» How He Proposed: "We were walking along the beach in Miami and, spontaneously, I knew right then and there I had to ask her." So, he wrote "I LOVE YOU" in the sand, then dropped to one knee to pop the question. They picked out a ring at a local jewelry store right afterward.
Written by Express contributor Rachel Kaufman
Addison Road