Nothing quite brightens up a Tuesday like a room full of champagne and crystals. Last night, the 2013 nominees for the CFDA Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent gathered at uptown boutique Fivestory to present a range of creations they had covered in Swarovski Elements. Each nominee designed something that spoke to his or her own aesthetic—for instance, Tim Coppens bedazzled a Ducati Formula One racing helmet, and Creatures of the Wind's Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters produced a glittering pinup print. The collection, on sale now, will benefit Free Arts NYC. "We did a real cactus," said Suno's Erin Beatty, standing next to her glittering plant with co-designer Max Osterweis. "We were thinking about what would be unusual and what would be fun, and ultimately, the most beautiful things come from a place of contrast," offered the womenswear nominees, adding that their intern nearly skewered her eye on a cactus needle while helping them apply the crystals. Worth it, though, as their item was the first to sell. Womenswear nominees Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs also went a dangerous route, producing a shimmering set of razor-sharp knives. "They're just sleek, badass objects," said Cushnie, insisting that the knives were meant to be used in the kitchen (surprisingly enough, they're also dishwasher safe). Apparently, there were a few less benign mishaps in their creative process. "Michelle's a bit accident prone," chuckled Cushnie. "But she's still got all ten fingers!"
The Boy Scouts of America will now allow openly gay boys to join scouting troops, but will continue to exclude gay adults as leaders — a compromise that may satisfy no one.
