Tag: Interview

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Fashion

Q&A: Sophie Lasry, The Newest Ambassador of Marina B Jewelry

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Sophie Lasry

Marina B jewelry isn’t only known for their beautiful accessories, they’re also applauded for choosing admirable spokeswomen. Talents such as Mila Kunis and Jennifer Lopez have engraved their mark as successful brand ambassadors for the company. Those are big shoes to fill for the next ambassador who comes along, but representatives for Marina B don’t need to appear on the big screen, or sell over 30 million album copies worldwide to qualify; Marina B looks for anyone who is committed to their product and entirely devoted to the brand.

With this in mind, Marina B recently selected socialite and philanthropist, Sophie Lasry, to be the new ambassador of Marina B jewelry. Marina B and Lasry collaborated throughout the Spring for the launch of the company’s latest jewelry set of the summer, the Cardan Collection. Her campaign was shot by famous photographer Fadil Berisha.

Daughter of American Hedge Fund manager, Marc Lasry, Sophie has participated and hosted events such as the “100 Women in Hedge Funds” Charity which benefited Action on Addiction, a British based charity founded by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. DOWNTOWN Magazine sat down with Lasry herself to have her tell us what she’ll be doing with Marina B, and what she hopes to take out from the experience.

D.M.: What motivated you into working with Marina B Jewelry?

Sophie: There were different factors. I approached Paul Lubetsky back in November to ask him for information about what the company was about. He told me how Marina Bulgari began her company and I thought it was fascinating how someone like her could make a brand so big from decades ago. Overall, what the company stands for is what drove me into joining Marina B.

D.M.:What makes Marina B stand out from other jewelry lines?

Sophie: Marina B has a lot of feminine essences coming from its founder, Marina Bulgari herself. She puts a lot of her personal taste into her pieces and has a clear idea of the style that women mostly look for.

D.M.:What have you learned from this experience?

Sophie: With hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. I went out of my comfort zone, not knowing much about jewelry, but Paul mentored and guided me into the industry. It is all about believing in yourself and in the people you work with.

D.M.:Were you a big fan of accessories before you signed on?

Sophie: I fell in love with brand the more I learned about each of their collections. I like the Cardan collection in particular; in the photo session I had with the brand, I was wearing Cardan necklaces and earrings.

D.M.:How closely do these pieces suit your personal style?

Sohpie: The best thing about Marina B jewelry is the wide variety of their pieces. You can dress them up for black-tie events and galas, or dress them down for school or just a walk around the city. There’s so much to pick from and each look has a meaning. I now dress my style to match the jewelry.

D.M.:How have you been able to lend your personality to the campaign?

Sophie: My personality is what got me to fall in love with the brand. Their colors are so lively and fun. I was able to wear every piece one time or another and I adored them all; you can go from sexy to fun to formal with these phenomenal pieces. When so many people can dress it to their style like Jennifer Lopez and Mila Kunis, that’s how you know how great these pieces are.

D.M.: Where and when do you wear these pieces in your personal life?

Sophie: Everyday. I wear the Cardan collection to school every single day because it makes me feel special regardless of how I’m dressing. When I go out for an event or a party, I always find a match to best suit my outfit.

D.M.:What does it mean to be a brand ambassador?

Sophie: It means to have someone who is passionate about the brand, someone who believes in it. It is a privilege to grow with the company and go wherever it goes. It has definitely been a challenge but I have learned a lot from this unique opportunity. They are dedicated and helpful in all aspects. It is a wonderful environment to be in.

D.M.:Does it feel like a big responsibility?

Sophie: In the best possible way; there is nothing bad about it.

D.M.: Do you have a favorite jewelry piece? Which one?

Sohpie: I love all of their jewelry, but my favorite pieces are the necklaces from the Cardan collection. They are sexy, chic and I can dress them in a casual or formal manner.

D.M.:Tell us a little more about your experience with 100 Women in Hedge Funds.

Sohpie: I’ve worked with 100 Women in Hedge Funds since I was 14-years old. My aunt Sonya, who introduced me to it, and all the women there have been such good mentors to me. In October of last year, we headed to their gala in London to be a part of the fund raiser they were doing at the time. We collaborated with Action in Addiction, which is a charity focusing on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and support for family and children with siblings battling addiction. 30% of our proceeds went to that charity.

D.M.: What was it like to host the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Charity?

Sohpie: It was an honor definitely. For me, to come all the way from Philadelphia and be a part of this event is such an opportunity, and to work with Amanda Pullinger, CEO of 100WHF, and Mimi Drake, President of the same is indescribable. The best feeling of it all was to give back and to host such a successful event. To feel what it’s like to give back when you have the chance to can fill you with so much happiness.

D.M.:Have you worked or met with anyone directly in the Action on Addiction program?

Sohpie: I got the chance to meet Kate Middleton, your royal highness. It was a unique experience. It is amazing to listen to someone speak so passionately about something like Action on Addiction. Being able to give back to that is everything.

D.M.:What’s next for Sophie Lasry?

Sophie: Right now I am just going with it, just enjoying anything that is in front of me. The opportunities I’ve been given recently, I still can’t believe it! I wish to be part of many more fundraisers in the future. I am going to balance everything out and see where life takes me from there.

Sophie Lasry is currently a senior at U Penn., Majoring in Communications. 

The Marina B Flagship store is located at 30 East 57th Street, between Madison and Park Ave.

– Luis Cuevas

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Business Living Real Estate

Interview: Larry Silverstein, A Man With A View

Larry SilversteinAP Photo/Mark Lennihan

THE MAN BEHIND THE NEW WORLD TRADE CENTER OPENS UP ABOUT HIS GREATEST PROJECT

BY JASON STAHL

There he is, Larry Silverstein, the man famed for rebuilding the World Trade Center and one of the most powerful individuals in this city. He is crouched at his desk, pounding on a computer and im­peccably dressed in a multi-striped blue and red shirt and a perfectly matched tie.

He is Mr. Big Picture, thinking three projects down the road and answering questions I haven’t yet posed. The mercurial developer’s Silverstein Proper­ties is also driving construction of several new buildings on the site, including towers 2, 3 and 4 of the new Trade Center. The 72-floor 4 World Trade Center recently opened to critical acclaim, and the others are planned to be even bigger.

Silverstein believes that the mixed use of the properties on the World Trade Center site, along with its many amenities, including a transit hub connecting more than a dozen subway lines and trains from New Jersey, will make it more vibrant than it has ever been before.

“You’ve got mass transit, which is what business looks for,” he says. “You’ve got first-class space, which is what business looks for. You’ve got a first-class neighborhood. All in all, you’ve got an unbeatable combination,” Silverstein crows.

We had the opportunity to sit down with this architectural icon to hear his thoughts about how he built his empire and to listen to him share his grand vision for the future, as he peered out at his great accomplishments from his office window overlooking Lower Manhattan.

What does the World Trade Center symbol­ize to you? The 16-acre site is the most major, and certainly complex, public-private partner­ship that could have been devised. It’s taken us 12 years to get to today, and we should be done by 2018. It’s been a long haul.

What goes through your mind when you over­look the Trade Center site? I think of the enor­mity of the travail, the challenges, the diversity of opinion, the joy of dealing with six governors of the states of New York and New Jersey. There has been one mayor, five or six chairmen of the Port Authority, five or six executive directors of the Port Authority involved in the process. It exacted a whole range of people saying ‘Stop, I want to look, I want to understand, I want to be sure we’re doing the right thing.’ It caused an enor­mous amount of delay.

Are you surprised by these delays? I expected it to go much faster. I was totally naïve.

If you would like to continue reading the entire interview with Larry Silverstein, you can find DOWNTOWN’s Spring 2014 issue on newsstands.

WTC Site Night, Silverstein Properties, New York, USADBOX. Courtesy Silverstein Properties.

Categories
Culture Entertainment

Welcome, Matt Letscher

Matt Letscher

Matt Letscher of Scandal and The Carrie Diaries is a breakout star, and everybody’s favorite familiar face.

Matt Letscher is the ultimate actor. He’s the kind of guy everybody knows, but nobody seems to know his name. “I guess that means I’m doing my job,” laughs the affable actor, playwright and family man who has seen his tip-of-the-tongue status change to top-of-the-marquee since exploding onto America’s consciousness with two completely different, but equally high-profile parts, on the hit series, Scandal and the prequel to Sex and the City, The Carrie Diaries.

“The fact that they are so different made it a little easier for me to do one after the other,” says the 42-year-old father of two daughters who fell in love with the theater as a kid growing up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

In Scandal, he plays the scene-stealing and scheming Chief of Staff for the Vice President who would sink to any depth to rise to the top. On the opposite end of the spectrum, he stars as the awkward, but well-intentioned widowed dad of young Carrie Bradshaw, who never quite has a handle on things.

“I’ve always worked a lot, but I’ve never been a celebrity,” he laughs. “But now people approach and let me know they like my work, and it’s really not a bad feeling.”

Letscher is an actor’s actor, having racked up more than 15 film roles dating back to his 1993 debut in Ted Turner’s epic Gettysburg back in 1993. He’s also a theater mainstay, appearing in 18 plays and getting his start when Jeff Daniels, Evening News star and fellow Michigan native, discovered his talent as a playwright, encouraging him to write his own first work, Ship of Fools, which Daniels featured in his Purple Rose Theatre.

If you would like to continue reading the entire story written by Mike Hammer and see all the photographs of Matt Letscher by Halley Ballard, click here.

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Categories
Culture Entertainment Living

Chris Noth: Vexed In The City

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New York acting icon Chris Noth grins and gripes about his tempestuous relationship with acting, celebrity and New York.

If you’re looking for a poster kid for New York, look no fur- ther than Chris Noth.

The Greenwich Village resident may have been born in Wisconsin, but his resume was reared right here on the streets of the city. Two of our town’s most iconic television series, Sex and the City and Law & Order owe a huge amount of their success to his acting. He can often be seen hoofing it to one of his many theater gigs where he continues to hone his craft, or strolling into a neighborhood watering hole to relax and take the edge off.

“I know I get a little grouchy when I’m weaving through a sea of tourists with their cameras looking for a snapshot of the guy from Sex and the City, but there aren’t many places where I get the kind of energy and opportunities that I’ve had right here in New York.”

The 57-year-old Big Apple denizen has an edge that screams New York. He’s like every streetwise city dweller Hollywood has romanticized on the silver screen. He’s Dustin Hoffman slapping the hood of a taxi in Midnight Cowboy and screaming “I’m walking here!!”

“Look, I love it here,” he says. “It just gets a little hard to find your own space sometimes.” For Noth, whom many think of as the elegant publishing magnate who melted women’s hearts on SATC, that space is The Cutting Room, the rock palace of which he has a piece. It’s his haven, bursting with bands that strike a chord with well-heeled rockers. But even here he can belt out the blues.

“This is our second location,” he says. “It’s a fantastic place, but as New York morphs more into a cleaner, more corporate city, you’ll find more Banks of America than cool places like this.”

If Noth seems a bit nostalgic, it’s understandable, since he developed his taste for the Big Apple back in the bad old days before the Giuliani cleanup of the early ’90s. “Those were the days when a struggling actor could live in Manhattan. Hell, I remember riding my bike through the snow with my girlfriend on the handle bars. But, now that I think of it, my bike got stolen—so there were definite trade-offs…”

If you would like to continue reading the entire story written by Mike Hammer and see all the photographs of Chris Noth by Brian Bowen Smith, click here.

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