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Accessories, Beauty, Body, Cover Stories, Fashion, Living, MSM Online

Aerin Lauder: The Face Behind the Global Beauty, Home Décor, & Fashion Accessories Brand

By Gisel Habibnejad Being the granddaughter of legendary beauty icon Estée Lauder has its benefits no doubt. One of these includes being blessed with the creative touch needed to become a beauty maven in this industry. Aerin Lauder has demonstrated such talent through her global luxury lifestyle brand, AERIN. Furthermore, she has cultivated her talent in home décor, fashion accessories, philanthropy, and beauty. Aerin recently released her latest fragrance collection, Rose de Grasse which embodies the scent of roses—specifically Rose Centifolia, Rose Otto Bulgarian, and Rose Absolute. “I’ve always been inspired by the pure beauty and timelessness of roses. When conceiving the new Rose de Grasse perfume, we wanted the fragrance to be ultra-feminine and light,” shares the mother of two. The New Yorker takes her fragrance collections seriously, going through a detailed process and ensuring she is active every step of the way. “It always starts with an image in my mind – what I want to say in that fragrance and what notes I think will express that. But that’s only the beginning.” The next step includes working closely with the perfumers until she finds the right scent to translate her message. “I obsess over every little detail – I think it’s a family trait.” Of the products offered by her collection, Aerin’s favorite is the Rose de Grasse Parfum, “It’s the perfect combination of my favorite roses in a light beautiful scent. I like to spray it in my hairbrush before I brush my hair.” Aerin also has a knack for designing home décor pieces and accessories. From candles to lamps, pillows, and much more, you can find collective accents made with you in mind. Whether you’re looking for a classic or modern look, AERIN has a desirable piece for you. By adding candles to her fragrance collection, Aerin combines two of her loves in one, “Candles can instantly transform the feeling of a space. This season I’ll be lighting the AERIN Beauty Rose de Grasse Candle for guests.” A tip Aerin carries with her everywhere comes from her late grandmother, “‘You only have one face, take care of it.’ Skincare is so important. I always wear sunscreen and I invest in high-quality products that help protect and repair my skin.” Her favorite skincare product from Estée Lauder is the Advanced Night Repair. You can get to know Aerin personally through her brand accessories; each piece is mirrored by her passions. Photography Courtesy of AERIN LLC For more information on AERIN, please visit www.aerin.com

Interviews, Swimwear

One On One With Red Carter

Swimwear designer Red Carter makes a giant splash in the fashion industry, and it’s only the beginning.  By Katie Jackson/Photo courtesy of Ken Pao In 2003, Miami gained a designing phenomenon when Red Carter left his native California to take his talents to the Magic City.  After working for major brands like Esprit, Guess, Victoria’s Secret, and Oscar de la Renta, Carter was finally ready to break out on his own. Inspired by Miami’s glamorous Art Deco style, Carter created and developed his swimwear brand out of his Miami Beach apartment. Now, Carter’s fashionable and sexy swimwear has catapulted him to the top, with numerous features in leading high fashion magazines and a large celebrity following.  Sadly for Miami, Carter recently relocated to New York City to continue growing his burgeoning brand, but will always have a special place for Miami in his swimwear and in his heart. For Carter, the desire to design clearly pulses through his veins. As a young child, Carter was already creating sketches for what would soon lead to a career in fashion. “I started drawing sketches of naked ladies, and my mom was like, ‘you can’t have all these pictures of naked ladies laying around!’ So she said, ‘why don’t you put clothes on them?’ So I started drawing dresses and watching vintage movies, and that sort of inspired me to see the art of fashion in movement,” says Carter.  He then went on to study at the prestigious Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. After his graduation, Carter gained extensive experience working for top fashion brands and designers. But after taking a job with a start up company and being let go soon after, Carter decided it was time to take control of his career. “I found myself without a job, and I decided that I wanted to have my own message. So, I started my own brand,” says Carter. After moving to Miami 11 years ago, Carter says he was given a rare opportunity to “set the tone for luxury living.” Carter capitalized on the growing niche for high-end swimwear, creating polished yet glamorous pieces with a fun Miami edge for the fashionista with a flexible budget. “My customer is looking for a getaway, and they want to stand out. They definitely don’t want to wear what everyone else has,” says Carter.  Carter began designing his brand on his own dime and started selling his pieces out of his apartment. “We would do little shows, sell them out of little stores. I just paid my dues.” But it wasn’t long until Carter’s designs starting receiving massive attention.  Popular retail stores started carrying his designs and magazines began giving him features. Then in 2004, Carter participated in the very first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, launching him and his designs into an international spotlight. Today, Carter’s designs have been featured in multiple high fashion glossies, and have been spotted on notable celebrities like Rihanna, Jennifer Aniston, and the Kardashian sisters. One of his suits was even worn by Beyoncé in her music video “Grown Woman” off her mega-hit self-titled visual album “Beyoncé.” Upon finding out about the video, Carter said he was ecstatic. “I was like, are you kidding me? It was a great couple of minutes. I did the happy dance. It was kind of the most funny, anxious moment, but it was really great.” But even with the massive exposure, Carter stays humble. “I’ve never really taken it for granted. I’m always very flattered,” says Carter of the all the attention. “You’re only as good as your next design. So I’m very honored, but I always think to myself, what is possibly next? That was great, who else now? How else can I affect people?”  Carter has now relocated to New York City after joining the outerwear manufacturer Amerex Group. Joining Amerex Group has not only helped Carter grow his business, but also allowed him to be removed from the operations of the company and solely dedicate himself to what he truly loves: design. Carter is now able to work on multiple projects at once, including continuing to design suits for Jessica Simpson’s swimwear line, a project he was approached to do a few years ago.  As for when he’s back in Miami, you may catch Carter relaxing at The Standard or grabbing a bite to eat at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. “It’s so bad, but so good,” Carter says of the restaurant. While he’s not particularly into the party scene, Carter says he loves to people watch when in Miami. “I’ll definitely relax by the local pools and watch what people are wearing and what their lifestyles are all about. That’s my little secret weapon.”  Although Carter is no longer living in Miami, he will be returning this summer to participate in the MBFWS 10th anniversary, but will not be doing a show. “It’s kind of an honorary participation,” says Carter.  Instead, he will be showcasing one of his prints from one of the last runway shows he did for MBFWS, which happens to be the piece featured in Beyoncé’s video.  While it’s clearly evident that Carter has made an enormous indent in the fashion industry, he remains the perfect balance of humble, passionate, and determined.  “I’ve had a great journey. I’ve had great seasons and I’ve had seasons of struggle. I think in the end, persistence is a true reward. Persistence is what you have to focus on. And not being a flash, but being a constant. Just follow your dreams and don’t give up.”  You can find Red Carter designs at Nordstrom and online at Niemen Marcus, as well as shopbop.com, southbeachswimsuits.com, and Everything But Water Stores worldwide.  Photo by Imani Ogden Click here to view this post in the July/August 2014 issue.

Beauty, Body

BOND NO. 9 – MSM One on One with Laurice Rahme

By Sandra Mateu Summer Issue 2012       In homage to the city where anything is possible, artist and founder Laurice Rahme created a collection of fragrances that give every neighborhood of New York City a scent of its own. Bond No.9 is a brand that brings back the art aspect of perfume-making, while developing fragrances that go hand in hand with the ever-changing world of today. Wall Street, Chinatown, New Haarlem and Brooklyn, just to name a few, already have a perfume of its own. Each of them offers a taste of its people, its food, and its culture with a touch of progressiveness typical of the city that doesn’t sleep.  Bond No.9 offers a modern proposal by creating fragrances not only for men or women, but also unisex and “by making scents contemporary by adding a twist to the classic fragrance notes,” as her creator carefully explained. Rahme, who has an extensive and impressive background in the beauty industry having worked for Lancome, Annick Goutal and Creed, thought that New York City needed to be celebrated. She started her mission in 2003 by opening a boutique in NoHo, New York. “The name of our brand comes from our first boutique opened on 9 Bond Street. I wanted to honor every neighborhood of NYC and since I know the City very well, I started pairing their scents such as their delicious food, especially desserts and spices, to their location and creating a fragrance to celebrate it,” explained Rahme. While sitting at the second floor of Saks Fifth Avenue – Dadeland Mall in Miami, Florida, Laurice shows me a beautiful collection of gorgeous bottles of Bond No.9 and lets me try on Central Park West, a fragrance that comes with a cute necklace/bracelet and rose pin. As Rahme explained, Central Park West consists of “Narcissus mingled with tangy ylang ylang and a pinch of piquant pepper; a beckoning white-petal mélange and majestic gardenia.” She also tells me about their new scent Sag Harbor coming out on Memorial Day. “Sag Harbor is the only marine oud on the market. It is an easy going, sophisticated and enticingly beautiful fragrance,” said Rahme. Laurice came to Miami this May 11th and 12th for a special event at Saks Fifth Avenue where she not only promoted her fragrances, but also autographed bottles. This event donated 10% of the sales to three community organizations: Jewish Community Services Shalom Bayit, Women’s Fund of Miami Dade and La Liga Contra el Cancer (The League against Cancer). At the end of the interview, I asked Laurice if Bond No.9 had any plans of expanding her fragrance collection to other cities, and she proudly responded: “New York City deserves this celebration, especially with everything it has gone through. We want to stick to our mission and infuse the island of Manhattan with delicious scents.” Captivated by the enthusiasm and good energy of the conversation I dared to ask one more question. Hypothetically speaking, I said to Rahme, if there was a remote possibility of creating a fragrance for the city of Miami, what would it smell like? She laughed and responded without hesitation: “Ohhhh It would smell very, very sexy dear.” www.bondno9.com

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