AMBITION BLISS: March 2014

Friday, March 7, 2014

BLOOMS

THESE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS MAKE ME THINKG OF SPRING.

THIS UPDATED VERSION OF ANNIE WAS ORIGINALLY CONCEIVED BY WILL SMITH AS A STARRING ROLE FOR HIS DAUGHTER WILLOW. WILL SMITH TEAMING WITH JAY-Z BROUGHT IN QUVENZHANE WALLIS OF BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD TO PLAY ORPHAN ANNIE. DIRECTED BY WILL GLUCK THE FILM STARS JAMIE FOX AS BENJAMIN STACKS AND CAMERON DIAS AS THE CRUEL MISS HANNIGAN.

IMAN IS TIMELESS

The feeling is joy. That’s the sole—and soul—reaction to witnessing Iman Abdulmajid model up close. With more than a quarter century of photo shoots behind her, the 58-year-old moves with the grace and confidence of an authority in her field. She glides through poses and looks, and it’s clear Iman needs no direction—instead, she offers it. “Through the years, I’ve learned what works for me,” she explains. “Most importantly, I can see in my head the final shot, so the objective is to create something original and modern, to serve the photographer’s vision.” Iman is poised and precise in action, and it’s not long before the entire room recognizes as fact what the unacquainted may assume is fiction: Iman is a living masterpiece. In 2012, Iman’s world went digital with the launch of destinationiman.com, an online portal that presents her multifaceted empire through a glossy, curated eye. The editorial-driven site features advice, fashion tips and a glimpse into her glamorous globe-trotting lifestyle. On Twitter, her posts as @The_Real_IMAN reveal her daily routine (#imandaily), style savvy, home décor and archival images, boasting more than 80,000 followers. Today, the supermodel turned super mogul is expanding her empire with the IMAN Home Bed & Bath Collection. The new collection translates Iman’s global aesthetic into bold, printed bedding, pillows and towels and takes inspiration from many chic locales like Hollywood, Morocco and Ibiza. “You can really see the journey from my background in fashion as I approached this collection as if it were a wardrobe for rooms,” she says. “I believe that layering doesn’t only apply to fashion and jewelry; I played with patterns by layering ikat with medallions, stripes with animal prints to create rooms with an interesting mix of textures, patterns and visuals.” Home is truly where the heart is for Iman. “Home is where I seduce my husband, nurture my children, entertain my friends and nourish my soul,” she announces on her website. Iman’s path to lifestyle guru has forged the way for many other famous faces like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum to create a career post modeling. She has been showered with numerous accolades for both her personal style and business acumen. In just the last few years alone, she has been honored with the coveted CFDA Fashion Icon Award in 2010 and the Hall of Fame Award by the Accessories Council in 2013, selected by the Business of Fashion as one of the 500 Most Influential People and honored by BRAG (Black Retail Action Group) in 2013. It’s a heady legacy, which, while based on beauty, clearly wasn’t built on incredible bone structure. The depth and breadth of Iman’s success suggests a shrewd business mind and a persona that suffers no fools. And despite being often called a living legend, Iman is not ready to rest on her laurels. “Absolutely not,” she says. “I’m constantly evolving. Honey, you are never too old to learn a new trick.” YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW IN SCENE MAGAZINE.

FEELING BLUE

Thursday, March 6, 2014

IDRIS ELBA COVERS UPTOWN MAGAZINE

If there’s one actor who had a spectacular 2013, it’s, without question, Elba. He started 2013 in earnest with his role as Stacker Pentecost in Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited sci-fi summer blockbuster Pacific Rim, released July 12. Elba’s presence was so powerful Warner Bros. ran trailers prominently featuring his character’s prophetic declaration, “Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!” Elba then tackled an expanded role as Heimdall in Thor: The Dark World, released November 8. Combined worldwide box office for the two films: more than $1 billion! But money doesn’t always equal respect. And respect is exactly what he earned for his portrayal of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in the biopic Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, widely released on Christmas Day. After seeing the film at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney raved, “While Elba’s gifts have been tapped in his television work on The Wire and Luther, few, if any, films have showcased the British actor’s range quite so expansively as Mandela. From an early scene with him in training as an amateur boxer he shows a rangy physicality, an absolute ease in his body that enhances his magnetism. That dynamic presence feeds the warmth as well as the authority and dignity of the man. He’s also uncannily like the real Mandela in his voice and accent work.” Bringing the essence of the international icon to the big screen was a demanding task for Elba. “Everybody has a sense of who Mandela is—his nobleness, his white hair, his voice,” he told Vogue. “Those were big shoes to fill. I felt like that would be the challenge: to create Mr. Mandela’s presence on film for people who have never met him.” It’s that presence Elba addressed on Charlie Rose this past December after Mandela’s passing. Elba’s aura, similar to what Mandela possessed, is why he was director Justin Chadwick’s only choice for the role, even though there was no physical resemblance to the titan. “It’s an odd thing to sort of admit about yourself, but I’ve been told [my entire] career, all my life actually, that I have a presence and an aura,” he confessed to Rose.