Chanel Re-Opens Haute SoHo Boutique!

Chanel re-opens Soho boutique with a little more edge. The luxury brand has celebs and non-celebs flocking to its new store. There’s a new graffiti wall with Chanel spray paint and ten-foot high Chanel No. 5 bottle streaming the latest Paris runway footage that lets you know Coco is still in the house!

Haute handbags and dreamy lambskin makes this handbag bar second to none. There’s even an exclusive line of bags with a ‘Chanel Soho 2010’ engraved plaque. But don’t forget the shoes… the 2010 fall collection is out!

Personally, I can’t wait to view the J12 watch collection… still love mine! Looks like the first stop on my New York City tour will be in Soho.

Will you visit the new Chanel Boutique in Soho?

Idris Elba Interviews Haute Travels in Curacao

What happens when a chance meeting turns into a really cool conversation with one of the stars from the biggest movie out right now, Takers? Something HAUTE… that’s why when I got the chance to meet Idris Elba, I really wanted to know how travel inspires him, but he wanted to interview me. I’m thinking to myself, “Why” I’m not that interesting.

So I sat there trying to keep it together as he asked me questions about my career and beyond all without a shirt on with just a pair of shorts and that British accent that’s so HAUTE. But I got through it and thought… there’s still a story here after all. I just didn’t recognize it.

Imagine sitting on a beautiful stretch of beach in one of the prettiest places on earth, Curacao, talking to “Driis” as his friends call him and not having seen his new movie or the television series, The Wire! Lol However, in my defense, I planned to see Takers this week! Fortunately, he didn’t seem to hold that against me and instead decided that he wanted to know more about this southern girl from Atlanta who knew absolutely nothing about all the things that made him famous. In fact, he seemed to like it. I was honest about it. And he may have even been intrigued by that. But from my perspective, it made him a person to me and not a celebrity. So in that unguarded moment, I was candid with him.

Here are 5 questions that Idris Elba asked before he went for a swim in the ocean... leaving me thinking, wow, he really got me with the role reversal!

Idris: Why did you move back to Atlanta?

Answer: So that I could spend more time with my parents who missed me while I lived in Chicago for so many years. Now they’re older.

Idris: What’s your favorite city to travel to?

Answer: Paris, it’s the place where I feel the most creative and free

Idris: Do you always poke your lip out when you think no one is watching?

Answer: I don’t… but he said “Yes, you do. I saw you do it.” Lol Of course, I kept denying it!

Idris: What makes you happy?

Answer: Helping people who want to write about travel… find their passion and follow their dream. At the end of the day, I’m also a story teller. So I help people lay the blueprint for creating their own script about their lives. 

Idris: What’s your real age?
Answer: ??… but he says, “No Way!” Yes, really.

Thanks Mr. Elba for flipping the script and giving me a story that I never expected. You just never know how chance encounters offer an opportunity for introspection in those spare moments (that we rarely have time for) allowing someone to see inside your soul. By changing things up, I got to learn a lot more about you than I could have ever imagined.

What do you think about Idris' role reversal interview?

Haute Travels Heads to Beautiful Curacao

It’s time for some sun and relaxation… so I’m headed to Curacao this week. I’m super excited because I’ve never visited the island before and I love exploring new places. I’m also thrilled to call the new Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina home for a week! The 27-acre resort, also known as the “centerpiece of the exclusive Santa Barbara Plantation,” sits on beautiful beachfront (private) property nestled between the Caribbean Sea and Spanish Water Bay.

The resort also features three new restaurants with menu items that are all about seafood and farm-to-table ingredients. But my favorite spot, besides the beach—the Atabei Spa. I’m a girl who loves to indulge with a great massage, pedi, facial or body scrub.

A full service salon, 24 hour Hyatt StayFit™ fitness center, three pools, four tennis courts and an 18-hole Pete Dye championship golf course also make this new resort HAUTE.

My week will also move to the beat of smooth jazz with music from John Legend and Lionel Richie as they perform during the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival. So as I pack away, I can’t help but smile thinking about my week ahead. I can’t wait to bask in the glow of the Caribbean sun and get swept away by the cool ocean breezes.

Curacao is an integral part of the ABC islands located just 35 miles from Aruba and Venezuela!

For more info about the Hyatt visit http://www.curacao.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

For more info about the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival visit http://www.curacaonorthseajazz.com/en/

What's your favorite Caribbean Island?

What's HAUTE in my travel bag?

Something new to add to my travel bag to boost moisture in my skin and provide UVA/UVB protection!

AMBI® Essentials Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15
This daily moisturizer helps protect your face from damaging sun rays, while replenishing moisture to dehydrated skin. It also helps to minimize the appearance of uneven skin tone and dark spots.

Price: $4.50 / 2 oz. tube

Are you using a moisturizer with sun protection?

Disclosure: I received a sample of Ambi to test.

Haute Stuff! Laura Mercier Asks “What is Flawless?”

Laura Mercier Cosmetics believes one answer to what is flawless is being charitable and giving back. To that end, beginning September 1, 2010 to December 1, 2010 every time a response is submitted on the LAURA MERCIER website, $1.00 will be donated to the Gulf Relief Foundation (gulfaid.org) to help restore the Gulf to its previously flawless state.

“Women have lots of choices, it’s no longer about trade-offs, but trade-ons. So, when it comes to beauty, it’s less about rules, and more about giving women the tools they need to express themselves and create who they want to be in that moment.” Says Ellen Greewald, Chief Marketing Officer at Laura Mercier. “The Laura Mercier brand philosophy, and its Flawless Face product line, so clearly aligns with today’s modern woman, we thought, what better time to take the lead in cultivating a conversation around these new ideals?” says Sharon Collier, President and CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics.

To Submit, Visit: http://www.lauramercier.com/store/content/whatisflawless.jsp

What does flawless mean to you?

The Ritz Carlton Chicago Fit for a Haute Socialite!

When socialite-types travel to Chicago they often check-into one of my favorite haute spots—The Ritz Carlton. I had the pleasure of staying in one of the new re-designed suites fit for a girly girl… it came with a dressing room! And the skyline view of the windy city wasn’t bad either.

Recently, The Ritz Carlton Chicago, a Four Seasons property, unveiled a $25 million renovation. It’s been called the “largest restyling in the hotel’s 33-year history!” A haute new restaurant, dramatic lobby and luxurious suites with sweeping views of Chicago’s gold coast makes this the ideal location for travelistas in search of stylish escapes in Chicago.

The Presidential Suite is where I’d like to set up camp the next time the property managers invite me in for an overnight stay. The new re-imagined suite has a spiral staircase with floor-to-ceiling windows with breath-taking views of Lake Michigan. It also includes a kitchen, dining room, study and living room. There are also three full baths and two half baths. A baby grand, in-room business center along with airport transfers in a Rolls Royce Phantom adds to a luxurious state of mind. I also think the 24-hour personal assistant is another nice touch. But get this—guests also get to indulge in daily in-room 90 minute massages! I love the spa so I can only imagine daily massages… so HAUTE.

The Ritz Carlton Chicago sits atop Water Tower Place set along the famed Magnificent Mile. It’s ranked as one of the best hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure and named Best Hotel in the United States by the Readers of Conde Nast Traveler in 2008.

For more information visit www.fourseasons.com/chicagorc

Will you check in?

My Haute Eat Pray Love Moment!

Have you ever thought about getting up from your desk, quitting your job and traveling the world? It’s something that many people think about, but few actually do it! Most people are not risk-takers. They prefer to dwell in an unhappy life rather than take a chance on something new. In the coming weeks, the new film Eat Pray Love based on the book by Elizabeth Gilbert will have women everywhere planning a career break.

In 2005, I did just that… after many years as a TV news producer, I thought about walking out and traveling to Paris to study photography. Well, a friend not only supported my dream, but he encouraged and financed part of it. He bought me a 35 mm camera to photograph life in Paris.

Unlike Gilbert, I wasn’t in a position to just get up from my cubicle and quit leaving a pay check behind. However, I did get smart about it. I found out that my company (a major cable TV network) would reimburse me for a photography class. So I jetted off to France for a vacation or mini career sabbatical that was long overdue. I spent part of my summer at Spèos, a photography school in Paris... the city of light!

Turns out, it was the single most important trip that I would ever take. I learned so much about myself while following my personal path to happiness. It was also the first lesson that I learned in controlling my fate. And there were plenty moments where self-indulgent activities, self-reflection and a love for life took center stage.

I used my camera to tell my story instead of a journal. I made friends and spent my days roaming around Paris working on my photography projects. I also spent much of my time enjoying the company of my new friends. It was très chic but in an unconventional kind of way. I still hang out with my friends in Paris, when I go back for a visit.

When I returned to my life in Chicago, things were different. The indifference about my career was gone and replaced with clarity. It was time to leave my TV life and seek out new opportunities that brought me to my highest happiness. A few months later, I was out of the world of TV news and investigating the world of travel writing. Since that time, I’ve been to three continents and I’m working on two more this year! I’ve written about luxury travel, spas, health, wellness and lifestyle topics in places like Europe, South America and Canada. And I don’t have any regrets! I even learned how to build an entirely new career by using my skills in other areas of strategic communication.

I’ve spent the last few years (in between projects in public relations) traveling the globe like a socialite without a trust fund! You may not be a travel writer but that should not stop you from discovering something about your life. You may seek balance and understanding while asking, “What should I do with my life?” During those moments where there are no walls up and you’re completely unguarded… you’ll find yourself happier, healthier and FREE while uncovering the answer.

Here are 4 tips to help you follow your DREAMS:

-Plan

We can’t all just up and quit our jobs, but we can plan time off and set off on a destination that makes up happy or offers something new to learn about ourselves.

-Save
 
If you don’t have a trust fund or unlimited funds, you’ll need to plan your financial future because living away from home for a certain period of time can be costly. You may also have to cover your own expenses at home while you're away. Therefore, you should save as much as possible and find other ways to cut your budget. You should consider renting out your house or subletting your apartment to free up cash. You should also pay off your bills and sell any items that you don’t want and stash the extra in your travel fund account.

-Research your destination(s) and learn as much as you can about the culture

There’s so much information in the library and on the internet… there’s no excuse not to know what the people, place and culture of your home away from home offers. Be sure to talk to other people who have done what you’re trying to do. They’ll have plenty of advice and information that will help you along your journey. Be prepared and expect the unexpected.

-Make it happen… and Let Yourself Go!

Don’t use the “I don’t have time” as an excuse to talk yourself out of following your dream. Just do it and let yourself go in the process! Be open.

While you're away... be sure to stay in contact with your friends and loved ones at home. Enjoy your journey!

Are you ready for a career-break?