CANDY WASHINGTON

WRITER | PRODUCER | ACTOR | MANIFESTATION + SELF-LOVE MUSE

My dream wedding dress inspiration

Candy WashingtonComment

One of my best friends since childhood, we met in the first grade and have been inseparable ever since, is getting married next year and we have been planning everything from the fabulous bachelorette party, my maid-of-honor dress (her sister is the matron-of-honor), menus and cocktail selections, to the show-stopping wedding gown.

I always thought that I never wanted to get married, but as I've grown as a woman and have loved and lost, both my heart and mind have changed. I wanted to share with you guys inspiration for my dream wedding dress, inspired by my best friend.

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Gown by J'Aton Couture 

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Gown by Yaki Ravid 

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Gown by Inbal Dror 

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Gown by Inbal Dror 

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Gown by Yaki Ravid 

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Gown by Yaki Ravid 

What's the inspiration behind your dream wedding dress? 

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen debut new fragrance: Elizabeth and James: Nirvana Black and White

Candy WashingtonComment
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Continuing to expand on their billion-dollar empire, Elizabeth and James designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen launched their first adult perfume entitled, Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black and White. In true Olsen form, the perfume contains two fragrances in one. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black, is a woody scent with elements of violet, sandalwood, and vanilla, while Elizabeth and James Nirvana White, is a subdued floral musk with accents of of peony and muguet, while. The fragrance will exclusively be sold at Sephora stores and websites in January 2014.

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Jameson Dylan Best Fest at Bowery Ballroom NYC

Candy WashingtonComment
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For whiskey connoisseurs and those that are in the know on the music scene, the Jameson Dylan Best Fest will be a “who’s who” in the entertainment industry event this November 11-12th at Bowery Ballroom in New York City. The New York Times described The Best Fest as “one the most jubilant events of the year,” and Rolling Stone touted it as “an experience that is equal parts concert and celebration.”

The Dylan Fest was the birthplace of The Best Fests that now spans across San Francisco, New York, Austin, and Los Angeles, and also includes the Petty Fest and Stones Fest. Since it began, The Best Fest concert series has become a New York tradition and with 100% of sales proceeds going to Sweet Relief, a charity dedicated to healing musicians in need, it has raised more than $100,000 for the cause.

The evening will celebrate the music of Bob Dylan featuring Patrick Carney of The Black Keys, Doyle Bramhall II, Jason Isbell, Dhani Harrison, Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards, Elvis Perkins, Ruby Amanfu, Craig Finn & Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady (Nov 12 Only), Jesse Malin, Grouplove (Nov 12 Only), Danny Clinch, Matt Sweeney, Amanda Shires, Chase Cohl, Jack Dishel of Only Son, Steve Schiltz of Hurricane Bells, Mikki James, Josh Lattanzi of The Candles, Sammy James Jr. of The Mooney Suzuki, The Wild Feathers (Nov 12 Only), Johnny T, and many more.

The next Dylan Best Fest will hit San Francisco on November 20th and will include special musical guests from Doyle Bramhall II, Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini of Sly & The Family Stone, Elvis Perkins, Eric Pulido of Midlake, Craig Finn & Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady, Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards, Kelley Stoltz, Ruby Amanfu, Nicki Bluhm, Tim Bluhm, Boots Riley, Lukas Nelson, Chuck Prophet, Rayland Baxter, The Whigs, Danny Clinch, Josh Lattanzi of The Candles, Chase Cohl, to Neal Casal.

Lust for leather and swoon for sweaters: Trends we love for Fall

Candy WashingtonComment
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The leaves are starting to turn colors here in NYC, which of course also means its time to revamp your Fall wardrobe to stay looking hot in the cooler weather. Two trends for this season that we love at FashionEdits are leather and sweaters. Check out how to rock the latest looks this Fall.

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LEATHER

The jacket: A staple in every girl’s wardrobe (Fall or not) should be the quintessential black leather jacket. Nothing says chic like throwing a leather jacket over a pair of skinny jeans and flowy top or even pair with a short dress and leggings. To take your look to the next level this season we suggest that you opt for a mixed fabrication leather jacket. Our editor’s pick is leather with ponyhair.

The pants: Slip into a pair of leather pants to feel extra sleek this season. The trick with leather pants is to make sure that they aren’t too tight or too loose, so when choosing a pair err on the side of caution and go for the pair with a little bit of give. 

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The vest: If you’re into the leather trend but you don’t want to fully commit then sport a leather vest for just the right amount of the trend without going leather overboard. When it comes to the leather vest it’s better to skip black and go for a chocolate brown or cognac.

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SWEATERS

The style: To nail the perfect sweater look this season, remember baggier is better. Oversized and super-comfy sweaters are all the rage this Fall. Consider it a throwback to the 90’s grunge era and Keri Russell’s style on Felicity.

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The statement sweater: Deck out your sweaters this year with cool graphics, quotes, sequins, and cool designs. Some of the latest looks for sweaters feature animals from horses, dogs, tigers, wolves, owls, and cats while others rock Kermit the Frog, fuzzy fabrications, prints, and patterns.

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I originally wrote this article for FashionEdits, you can view here

Spotlight: Ian Gerard of Gen Art and Syndicate-5

Candy WashingtonComment
Gen Art: The premiere of "Life Happens" starring Krysten Ritter and Rys Coiro ("Entourage")

Gen Art: The premiere of "Life Happens" starring Krysten Ritter and Rys Coiro ("Entourage")

Entrepreneur and named one of People magazine's sexiest men alive, Ian Gerard, sits down with me for an in-depth look at the man behind Gen Art and Syndicate-5.

Candy Washington: Hi Ian! You are staple on the fashion, art, film, music, and design scene. How did you get your start in the industry?

Ian Gerard: In the strangest place... NYU Law School.  I started throwing parties with some of my cooler law school peers at local New York nightspots.  It gave me the experience of drawing people out to a social experience and a feel for how the nightlife venue world operated - which would come in handy in the near future.  I, however, had no background in film, fashion, art or music when a concept of showcasing emerging talent and having their peers support them - came to me...

Gen Art fashion show: Project Runway alums Althea Harper and Jay McCaroll

Gen Art fashion show: Project Runway alums Althea Harper and Jay McCaroll

CW: What was the inspiration behind creating one of my favorite platforms for emerging talent, Gen Art?

IG: I came up with the concept of Gen Art in my 2nd year at NYU Law. With my brother and a former high school classmate - who was from a major art collecting family - we created Gen Art. Several of my friends were visual artists at Vassar College (where I went) and I knew when they graduated in the early 90s the art market was a mess and there were very few opportunities for young artists to have galleries take a chance on them.  I thought that we could make a generational play for young people (like myself) showcasing young artists and having their peers, who were doing well in more professional circles, support the talent by buying their works.

So we built a world class advisory board of influential members of the visual art world - including Louise Bourgeois, Christo & Jeanne Claude, William Wegman, Ross Bleckner and about 15 others.  And with a crew of volunteers, we produced our first event - a benefit featuring four emerging artists - that sold out at the Manhattan Penthouse and got written up in The New York Times style section, Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. All of a sudden what seemed like a vague idea had caught fire.

Designer Michelle Smith (MILLY) with models at Sound Waves

Designer Michelle Smith (MILLY) with models at Sound Waves

CW: What advice to do you have for other entrepreneurs looking to build a business?

IG: Once an entrepreneur, I think one is always an entrepreneur.  I think its important for entrepreneurs to take risks and to fully believe in what you are doing.  I think its very hard to succeed if you second guess your decisions or have your one foot into your project and one foot out (hedging your bets).  If you don't believe you will succeed, no one else will either.  But an important thing in addition to drive and vision - is keeping an eye on not only creating a brand or buzz - but creating a successful business and having a plan for how you take your vision from conception to success.  Where do you want to be in 2 years, 5 years, and how are you going to get there.  You need to create a roadmap for success.  

The one thing I learned from Gen Art is that you should not just go with the flow and be happy with success that comes your way.  You need to map out your goals for the business and make sure you follow a path to get where you need to get the business to be not only a critical success, but also a business success.

Questlove performing at Sound Waves

Questlove performing at Sound Waves

CW: Where do you go for inspiration and what are some of your favorite things to do during your downtime?

IG: I think its important to escape mentally - from the craziness of one's business.  I love going to the movies as a form of escape.  I love the big screen experience and for me its totally different than watching a movie at home.  And I have no problem going alone, because it's all about that moment when you have time, the film I want to see, and you go - and I'm perfectly content to be surrounded by a big popcorn and diet soda.  I probably see 40-50 films each year.  

I also of course like to check out what's going on in the various entertainment realms, but not in an overkill manner.  I will go to one of two fashion events during fashion week, probably one of the art fairs each season, some special advance film screenings and a movie at Tribeca Film Fest, and what's going on in the private party world, and nightlife.  Although now, you will not find me out at 2am during the week.

Ian and friends at the closing day of Sound Waves

Ian and friends at the closing day of Sound Waves

CW: You’ve been featured in Crains New York Business "40 Under 40" and People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue, what were those experiences like?

IG: Quite surreal.  Although my photo in Crain's would never have passed muster for the Sexiest Man Alive issue :-)  In that one, they picked a rather frightening / intimidating shot. And actually, I was only half of a sexiest man alive, I had the good fortune to share the honor with my brother.  Overall it was a nice combination to happen within a few months of one another.  The Crains was great to be recognized by the business community and People was amazing because of the sheer reach of that issue - 20mm people.  Individuals who never knew what I did (like my building superintendent) all of a sudden understood what Gen Art was all about.  We were also fortunate that People focused on what we were doing with Gen Art, and the emerging talent we were showcasing, and didn't ask us silly questions about our beauty regimes or such.

Natalia Kills performing at Sound Waves

Natalia Kills performing at Sound Waves

CW: Your latest endeavor is heading up Syndicate-5, an entertainment and lifestyle marketing agency that aligns brands with consumers through their passion points, what have been some of your favorite client moments and project experiences while running the agency?

IG: It's been great to be back at the important nexus of corporate brands, emerging talent and consumers.  I have been fortunate to work with everyone from big companies like Cadillac, Heineken and Hyatt, to start-up ventures such as IvyConnect - a great new membership organization targeting a similar audience as Gen Art - and Imposter - a fashion line that if 100% pro-animal and produces the best faux fur fashion products on the market.  

Two of my longer term favorite projects are working with Andaz Hotels (boutique brand of Hyatt) and their cultural salon program where Syndicate-5 is responsible for creating partnerships between cultural organizations and Andaz, and for helping promote all that Andaz does in the cultural space (film, fashion, music, art, literature, design and culinary arts).  

My favorite event program of late was Sound Waves @ The House presented by Cadillac which was a 7 week music and fashion program taking place at out in Montauk this July/August. It gave me the opportunity to work with a Gen Art alum - Michelle Smith of MILLY, and some great music from ?uestlove to Natalia Kills.  It did however require running all day events each Saturday for 7 consecutive weeks...but who can complain when you are poolside, listening to great music and everyone is looking just a wee bit sexy.

Photo of the set-up of relaunch of JCPenney

Photo of the set-up of relaunch of JCPenney

CW: What’s something that you want to share with me that only my readers can find out here?

IG: I just booked my tickets and condo for the Sundance Film Festival coming up this January in Park City - and I am quite sure I will be doing something fabulous while there...but can't say what exactly just yet...

CW: Where can we go to connect with you?

IG: One can find out information about us on our website (www.syndicate-5.com), our FB page (Syndicate.5.Agency), or by emailing me at ian@syndicate-5.com.
Celebrating artist Hillary Harkness at Andaz 5th Avenue

Celebrating artist Hillary Harkness at Andaz 5th Avenue

Exclusive Interview with Olympic Hopeful & Snowboarder Jamie Anderson

Candy WashingtonComment

Can’t hit the slopes this winter, or score a ticket to the 2014 Winter Olympics? Let professional snowboarder and Olympic hopeful Jamie Anderson school you in the art of snowboard slopestyle, a new sport making its debut in Sochi and in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for Wii U. Fans of Mario and Sonic can team up or face off as their favorite characters in the new Wii U game, which re-creates realistic Olympic events such as curling, skiing, figure skating and snowboard slopestyle. Players also can perform moves not possible in real life, such as the Winter Sports Champion Race, a mixed event that combines skiing, snowboarding, skating and bobsleigh in a single event.

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JAMIE ANDERSON – is a professional slopestyle snowboarder, six-time X Games medalist, and Olympic hopeful. She is one of, if not the, top-ranked female snowboard slopestyle riders. One of eight siblings, Anderson grew up with Nintendo, making her an expert at friendly competition – on and off the slopes.

Beauty scoop: Eight Skincare for Fall Beauty

Candy WashingtonComment
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Just because you’ve broken out your fall jackets and are bundled up in knit scarves doesn’t mean you can’t show some skin this fall. Whether it’s a night out with your girlfriends or a black-tie gala, don’t let the temperature drop make you cover up. Exfoliate, cleanse and hydrate to reveal beautiful, radiant skin with Eight Skincare’s 4 Step Skin Rejuvenation Kit.

Eight Skincare uses Eight natural ingredients to soothe and protect skin. After a long summer of being exposed to harmful UV rays, heal and hydrate with the Vitamin E and C found in one of Eight’s powerful ingredients, Aloe Vera. Lock in extra moisture with Jojoba and Avocado Oils that glide on smoothly without any residue. Due to Eight’s signature complex of essential oils, a small amount will go a long way to balance & protect your skin.

Event Scoop: Simply Stylist Fashion & Beauty Conference

Candy WashingtonComment

One of my favorite events of the year is the Simply Stylist's Fashion and Beauty Conference. This year the New York version was held at The Park Central Hotel and had an array of panelists and guests from Lo Bosworth from The Hills, Mr. Jay Manuel from America's Next Top Model, to Ashlee White from Bravo's Princesses: Long Island. The conference is hosted by Catt Sadler from E! News with marketing efforts by Ian Gerard of Syndicate-5. See below for the full conference schedule and some of my top highlights from the event.

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Highlights from Lo Bosworth's Keynote Session

  • It is totally who you know. Be brave enough to ask for an introduction
  • You just have to keep building, because eventually something amazing will come from it
  • Pick one or two things you love and make that your business
  • You have to be prepared to jump out of a plane & build the parachute on the way down
  • Do your research and be different

Highlights from Mr. Jay Manuel Keynote Session

  • Believe and know that YOU ARE ENOUGH
  • Fake it until you make it and create your own opportunities
  • Be as humble as possible but your own biggest advocate
  • You are not defined by other people's opinions
  • Look at all of the avenues that are open to you and listen to your inner gut - the right path will make itself clear to you
  • Commercial modeling brings in the bank
  • Just do. People will be attracted to your passion

Highlights from Hilary Peterson of The Lyst Break-out Session

  • It's all about perceived value - make sure you are delivering on your brand promise
  • You have to invest in getting known and getting out there
  • In ecommerce, it's like 'Day 1'
  • When it comes to building your brand online - adopt early to digital, social, and ecommerce trends
  • No brand is an island

Tinned Bananas Pop-Up at BOXPARK and new Fall 2013 Fashion Campaign

Candy WashingtonComment

Tinned Bananas are excited to announce the launch of their very first flagship store at BOXPARK!

Tinned Bananas is a fresh new label from brother and sister duo Rosie and James; with the philosophy, 'express your true personality', Tinned Bananas create the most vibrant prints for a host of fun garms including jumpsuits, bodies and body-con separates.

The first official Tinned Bananas pop-up shop will open on 1st November and will run until the beginning of February.

Jamie Dornan named the new Christian Grey in 'Fifty Shades'

Candy WashingtonComment

I've admired Jamie Dornan since his days on The Fall (murder mystery series on the BBC2), so when the news broke that he would be playing Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades" I could barely contain myself! I wasn't going to go see the movie, but I definitely am now... might even buy the DVD! Enjoy photos of Jamie and video clips of his work (compiled by The Wrap).  

Here’s Dornan being creepy and mysterious on the BBC2 series “The Fall.” If anything, he may need to tone it down to play Christian Grey.

Here is on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” where he plays the dual roles of Sheriff Graham and The Huntsman:

In this horror serial, Dornan played a soldier about to ship out to Iraq who must first rescue his girlfriend from bloddthirsty ravers. Here he is taking the red pill:

And here’s Dornan playing — you guessed it — a mysterious loner.

Here’s a fan-made video featuring Dornan as Count Axel Fersen in Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette.” Something about the movie brings out fans’ desires to set scenes to melodramatic music, which may be fitting since “Fifty Shades” started as fan fiction.