A Tokyo Night - Contemporaries Bash for Phillips Collection

Friday night was the Contemporaries Bash annual gala for the Phillips Collection, this year themed 'A Tokyo Night'. The theme highlights Tokyo's vibrant arts scene and the color scheme included hot pink, white, chartreuse and royal purple. The Contemporaries Bash was co-chaired by Carl Bedell  and held at Dock 5 in Union Market.

At the entrance to the event you were greeted by the resounding echo of a Taiko drummer - literally A Tokyo Night kicked off with a bang!

The space was industrial and fitting for the avant garde Tokyo night theme. Dock 5 was strung with lights and had a lounging area in the middle of the room where people could sit on black high backed couched, spattered with bright paint.

There was a robata grill going (creating a smoky atmosphere appropriate of a market) and a food truck serving Japanese ice cream outside the space. At the bar, the specialities were: Hai Kitty - a grapefruit infused vodka drink, a refreshing Shochu plum liquor cocktail, and a cucumber martini.

Hai Kitty grapefruit cocktail

The event also included a delicious coffee and tea bar that served in the pour over style using the famed Intelligentsia coffee. 

Pour over coffee bar

There was a conveyor belt of snacks to choose from - shishito peppers, edamame and dumplings, as well as a noodle bar in the corner by the dance floor. 

The event brought together a diverse group of individuals in support of the arts, even ranging in style of dress from Japanese anime characters, to edgy non-formal wear, to black tie. It was enjoyable to look into a crowd and be continually surprised - a few kimonos were spotted (at least one worn by a male), as well as bow-ties dotted with fish.

Modern seating chairs in hot pink at the eating area edging on the dance floor

DJ Ben Chang

The Annual Gala and Contemporaries Bash raise critical resources for the museum’s award-winning education programs that inspire creativity, foster a greater understanding of our world, and provide lifelong learning experiences for children, teachers, and families in the Washington, DC, community and across the country. The Phillips Collection pushes the boundaries of K–12 education with the development of the PrismK12, a teaching framework to support teachers of any subject as they develop arts-integrated lessons and curricula. 

Fly by Light World Premiere

I was privileged on Friday to attend the world premiere at the National Geographic theater of the documentary Fly by Light, which follows a program funded by non-profit One Common Unity and sends at-risk youth from DC to a retreat in West Viriginia to learn non-violent responses to conflict through media and the arts.

The program does pre- and post- retreat workshops and focuses on assisting these youths to acknowledge the effects of harmful relationships, release pent-up negative emotions in a healthy way, and to provide a needed support network.

The documentary was incredible - Pne Common Unity, the board members, people involved in the making of the documentary and the facilitators of the Fly by Light program, not to mention the youth involved in the program, are amazing. This is an initiative that really deserves support and is making a difference on the people living in our neighborhood.

Here are some of the youth involved in Fly by Light performing live before and after the documentary screening - the first is spoken word and the second is a hip-hop song about Fly by Light.

Gold Cup - Horses and Hats

This year I attended Gold Cup for the first time, despite living in DC in the past. Gold Cup (as it was explained to me) is an excuse for men to dress ridiculously and women to wear elaborate decorations on their head, all while day drinking and occasionally paying attention to the horses. I needed a hat, so of course, I went to the source - DC's Propper Topper.

They have the loveliest hats (see below)...

After trying on most of the store's stock, I found the perfect blue hat to complete my ensemble and kick off my first Gold Cup in style.

We enjoyed a beautiful drive from DC to Virginia with perfect weather after a few cooler, overcast days. 

The green rolling hills, thick trees, and red barn in the distance provided an idyllic, postcard-like setting for the afternoon.

The horses were out in all their glory, thundering down the straight-aways on the verdant green grass.

And so majestic up close!

Out of the thousands of people in attendance, I ran into Karissa, who helped me pick out my hat at Propper Topper!

It was a glorious day to be outdoors and a successful first Gold Cup. Now I need more places to wear this hat to justify my purchase! I may wear it out just because.

I'm Back

Hello Everyone,

After a several year hiatus Pursuit of the Rush is back! I will be bringing you all the best from Washington DC.

Velvet Brigade- Share (and Shop) Your Designs

Check out the new fashion design website, Velvet Brigade, where you can create and submit your own designs. It's a social community where people vote on the designs you submit-- the winners designs become pieces that members can shop and buy! 


How it works:
Step 1. Submit a design: Aspiring Fashion designers, illustrators, hobbyists submit design ideas.
Step 2. Cast Your Vote:  The community comments on designs and votes for their favorites.
Step 3. Shop the Winners: Winning designs are put into production, the designers name is put on the tag and shares revenue with Velvet Brigade.

18th Annual Casa Pacifica Food and Wine Festival on Sunday

Come out this Sunday, June 5th to Casa Pacifica's 18th Annual Food and Wine Festival on the Cal State Channel Islands campus from 1 to 5pm. There will be terrific food and wine from local vendors, live entertainment and a silent auction. Some of the restaurants and wineries attending are:

• 21PHO
• Aloha Steakhouse
• Alta Colina
• Amoretti
• Arroyo Robles Winery
• Artiste Winery and Tasting Studio
• Baehner Fournier Vineyards
• Barcelona - Spanish Cava
• Bobalu Berries.com
• Bobbi's mexican food
• Bogies Bar and Lounge
• Bread Basket Cake Company
• Brendan's Irish Pub
• Brophy Bros. Restaurant and Clam Bar
• BuenaVentura Catering
• C-Street Restaurant
• Cafe Fiore
• Cantara Cellars

                   







All proceeds from the Wine & Food Festival benefit Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families, which provides hope and help for abused, neglected, or at-risk children and families in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Last year the Festival over $268,000 towards the $2.4 million Casa Pacifica needed to raise in private donations. Each year, as part of its public/private partnership, Casa Pacifica must raise 10-12% of its budget to fill the gap between what governmental funding it receives and the actual cost of providing its wide variety of high quality programs and services to the most vulnerable children in our communities and their families.

Get tickets here!

Sublime & Divine Jersey Dresses

Enchantress Dress by Dominique Ansari

There is nothing more versatile and sought after amongst a woman's wardrobe than a superbly crafted jersey knit dress. To go to your closet and ponder, "what will I wear to _____?" And to have the answer staring you back in the face: the dress the falls perfectly and offers indefatigable confidence. That dress ladies, is designed by Dominique Ansari, who provides us with a whole bevy of beautifully constructed and cascading jersey dresses from which to choose. Take a look at her collection for yourself and see that I do not lie--Dominique's pieces cling to your curves and the layered skirts provide flounce and movement with each step. The Enchantress dress lives up to nothing short of its name and its flowing skirt transforms even the lesser coordinated into something of a flamenco dancer. Don't underestimate the power of the perfect jersey dress, donning the dress leads utter strangers to stop you on the street and declare their admiration for its design. Much of this is due to the open back with various ways of styling--my favorite being the two ties separated with twisted knots (featured above, middle picture).

Dominique Ansari started her independent line in 2009 when located in the San Francisco Bay area. Dominique recently relocated to Los Angeles to make LA her business base and participated in LA Fashion Week alongside Project Runway winner Seth Aaron for Project Ethos. Dominique describes the following as the inspiration behind her line,

"My ideal for the clothing was always to make something in between the line of comfort and couture-like details for everyday wear, but sexy. I wanted to create collections that would appeal to consumer marketing, but has a high end feel and look that boutiques and buyers would want in their stores."

To see more of Dominique's draped jersey dresses inspired by nature and bold colors, take a look at her website and/or on Etsy. Some of my other favorites include the Fury convertible dress, the Flutter dress and the Resistance convertible dress. Keep an eye out for Dominique Ansari as an up-and-coming force in the LA Fashion scene.