GIVING BACK...

I sometimes wonder what this means...I use it all the time...GIVING BACK, to me means just that...giving back to the community, to my parents, to my siblings, to my friends but mostly to those in need.

Most of the time, giving back to the ones that mostly need has a profound meaning but when one gives to them and to those that help, one wonders do they really give back and help. It's just like the government, do you really see the moneys, do you see a change for the better.

I, myself and as designers, we try to make a difference in our daily lives. In my heart I want to give more and more and want to help those in need. That is my motto and I know I do it because I work in a hospital, helping patients and their family members and I am involved with organizations, foundations and charities that do this.

I wanted to mention a few and organizations I give too. It's obvious that I am going to mention AIDS organizations because I'm gay and I want to make sure we are all giving to AIDS research, cause you never know when ones time is up.

The other obvious one is children cause I love children and since I can't have any, well I guess it's my way of fathering those that need. I also love animals and donate to them as well. I want to give those without voices, a voice.
I'm a sucker for commercials that show abused animals... who would do such a thing? After a while, when I hear the commercial coming on I turn away from it, it's really heartbreaking....

Women causes, be it health or crisis is another charity and I have been giving to veterans association since 1995. We all must thank our armed forces men and women for keeping us safe and also allowing us to be free.

The environment is another one we help by recycling garbage at home and creating fashions from recycled materials, fabrics, vintage pieces, family heirlooms and stuff just laying around. Why create more garbage when we re-use sometime that already exists and re-create a "Wearable Piece of Art", something you can actually wear again and again not a PAPER or PLASTIC  garment.

For those of you that follow us; we are currently working on a fundraising show with the Women of the Roundtable and the Prestige Club. Both of these organizations are 501C3 companies, and are part of a huge network of companies, non and for profit organizations that GIVE BACK, (there goes that phrase again) by raising money for social causes.

The show will be at the Signature Grand in Davie on July 12. The date was changed because of an overbooking, it's all good, so we have more time to create more fabulous designs from recycled materials, fabrics and vintage pieces.

You all should make a B Line to this event, because GIVING BACK  is what's it all about.....There are opportunities to sponsor a table for $1000.00 and also tables to showcase your products or services for a mere $350.00. Remember it's a charity and a good cause!

We will be working with a few other folks that day: KN Cosmetics will be doing hair and makeup, Brunella Shoes will be providing shoes and Yenny Fashion Jewelry will place their jewelry on the models which will complement our dresses.  

For more information on the show reach me, www.franovik.com or Doris at www.thewomenoftheroundtable.com. Tickets: https://tickets.completeticketsolutions.com/WOTR/Online/default.asp or call 1 877 733 3135.

See you there!!

Viktor Franovik
www.franovik.com

FRANOVIK DESIGNS AND THE FABULOUS RIVERSIDE HOTEL

Franovik Designs, http://www.franovik.com/, with the assistance of the Women of the Roundtable, http://www.thewomenoftheroundtable.com/, showcased pieces of the new collection and some other classic pieces in the extraordinary Riverside Hotel.

Among the models were Lauren Goodman, Staci Lyon and Yazmin Villena.

The photographer was renown photographer Don Seidman; former photographer for the Miss Universe Organization, Miss Earth United States Organization as well for the Mrs America and Mrs World organizations.

Don, who has over 40 years of experience has worked for Wilhelmina Slater, Eileen Ford, John Casablanca, Barbizon International, just to mention a few. Visit Don’s website, http://www.donseidmanphotographers.com/, and see the wonders of photography.

The shoot was taken all around the hotel including the gorgeous “original” chimneys and the intercoastal. I organized lunch for my models and staff. The food and the staff were incredible. We had the Sagamore conference room, which opened out into a lush tropical sitting area, perfect for pictures. Fellow designers, this is the hotel for a photo shoot, any event and/or wedding.

I had my models in our collection, on the second floor balcony overlooking the Las Olas Blvd, It was great. Folks walking and having lunch on Las Olas were looking at the shoot, some were taking pictures and some had video cameras filming the shoot. We were stars on that Balcony.

Staci was waving and saying hello to everyone; especially when a cute car, as she put it, drove by.

On set, Franovik's Lead Designer Francisco Perez; Francisco made sure that all the dressess were placed on the right models and made minor adjustments to each piece. I, had the task to style all models and pieces and this time we had a new make up artist named Rebecca, beckysfaceart@gmail.com.

The Riverside Hotel is also the official host hotel for the Winterfest Boat Parade; where Franovik Designs had a boat in the parade in 2009, a 50 foot Catamaran #87. That year we were sponsors and dressed Lisa Scott-Founds,

Winterfest’s President, Susan Renneisen, Vice President of Events at the incredible Seminole Hard Rock Hotel, Business Owner Connie Chaney and Ms Latina International Esther Dollar.

Here is a little history on the Riverside hotel, http://www.riversidehotel.com/.

In the early 1900s, Las Olas made its mark in Fort Lauderdale as a thorough fare between the mainland and the beach. However, it was more than 70 years ago that Las Olas Boulevard became an American icon. The charming yet upscale destination that we know today — filled with boutiques, restaurants and art galleries — started as a vision of the enterprising Wells brothers, Preston and John. In the 1930s, these Chicago businessmen fell in love with the warm and sunny winters of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Wells brothers soon launched The Las Olas Company, which still owns Riverside Hotel and many Las Olas retail buildings. Back then, well-known politicians, well-heeled tourists and Hollywood celebrities immediately became fans of Las Olas Boulevard and Riverside Hotel — and a new cosmopolitan crop of fans strolls the casually sophisticated promenade every day.

Riverside Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale with a combination of traditional and new accommodations and the most spectacular views, on trendy Las Olas Boulevard which features cool sub-tropical breezeways and courtyards alive with sidewalk cafes, lively nightclubs, chic boutiques, art galleries, and world class restaurants.

The only hotel on Las Olas Boulevard, Riverside Hotel features Indigo Restaurant, Golden Lyon Vintage Pub, and Preston’s Wine & Martini Lounge. Guests enjoy the outside pool and sundeck with a beautiful view of the yachts cruising by on the New River just steps away.

Divided by a median of flowers and shady trees, Las Olas Boulevard is Fort Lauderdale’s most desirable location and runs from the center of the Downtown Business District to the Atlantic Ocean and Fort Lauderdale Beach. The name “Las Olas” means “The Waves” in Spanish.

Only four miles away from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Greater Fort Lauderdale & Broward County Convention Center and Port Everglades, and less than two miles from Fort Lauderdale Beach, Riverside Hotel is the perfect location for your time in South Florida. Whether your attire is swimsuits, business suits or wedding white, Riverside Hotel is the Fort Lauderdale hotel for your Florida vacation. See you on the Boulevard!

Viktor Franovik

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RECYCLED AND RENAISSANCE

This year, as one of the events FRANOVIK will participate will be the Renaissance Ball to benefit Prestige Club at the Signature Grand, January 28th.

We will be dressing Lady Doris Muscarella and Lord Daniel Kolber. Lady Doris, President of Women of the Roundtable will be honored for her outstanding work in the community for Women of the Roundtable, WRT Charitable Foundation and The Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center.

Lady Doris and Lord Daniel will be wearing fashions made from recycled curtains and table runners. The event promises to be a night to remember. For more information, contact Lady Doris at www.womenoftheroundtable.com.

Also check out our websites for future events, www.franovik.com and www.modelsanddesigners.com.

Thank you,

Viktor

A FASHION SHOW WITH A CAUSE

See you there!

For more information please contact:

Viktor Franovik

info@franovik.com

Need Models (female and male) TF

Media Exposure

Photos

Hair & Make Up provided

FASHION NO-NO BY VANNA WHITE

I like to watch game shows especially Jeopardy to challenge my mind but yesterday, I was shocked when watching Wheel of Fortune and at the end of the show Vanna White was wearing a leopard print dress, it wasn't the prettiest dress shes worn but then again the show is not about her but she gets some airplay.

As the show ends, Pat comments on her dress and she responds “ Leopard print never goes out of style”. Was she on something? I was gagging, Are you kidding me, All styles, and prints go in and out of style. When did she become a fashion designer or stylist?

The key is to know when to bring it out and when to keep it in the closet. I have to admit, she’s been kind of a style Icon but she’s not all that. She should keep to wearing what she wants and turn the squares; not impose a style that’s not in right now.

This summer, go with solids, not prints especially animal prints!!!! Look at corals, light tans, bronzes, taupes, not even pastels and mix it up, please not animal prints. Sorry Vanna, not a good call....

Viktor Franovik

FRANOVIK'S NEW INTERNATIONAL DIVISION

Exciting news: Franovik's expanding to the International Market!

Arianna Diaz to be appointed INTERNATIONAL LIAISON for Franovik's new division FASHOMODA Consulting!

This new venue will place Franovik on the International Forefront by opening satellite office in countries outside the United States.

The first country will be Venezuela. Venezuela will be key for various reasons. The most obvious is because Franovik's lead designer Francisco Perez is from Venezuela. Francisco is also President of his family owned business in Caracas.

Francisco will be key in FASHOMODA's development. I will always be involved since FASHOMODA Consulting is another division of VMV Marketing-Franovik Designs, which I

continue to be sole proprietor and Chief Executive Officer of all divisions.

Plans for other countries to consider will be Canada, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, and India. This will be a huge undertaking for us at Franovik Designs but we feel it's the next step in branding Franovik, Models&Designers magazine, and the other divisions.

Congratulations Arianna, Lets Make it Work!!!!!

Thank you for your continuous support,

Viktor Franovik

THE ROYAL WEDDING

Like everyone else, at least fans of the Royals, I was up at 4:00am to see the pageantry of the wedding and everything that goes with it. Also I wanted to gasp for air on the fashions and criticize the “what was she thinking” Celebs, royals and guests.

Now onto the bride: Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. She was stunning, simple but elegant. She was being compared to Grace Kelly and the late Diana. No comparison between her and

Diana, two different era’s and situations.

I absolutely love the dress, especially when I saw the train and the dress skirt were one; Sarah Burton created a stunning design! They spoke about the detailing but you really could not see it but I trust we will soon.

I was also checking out the ladies in the beautiful church, dress attire nothing to brag about unless you were Victoria Beckham, which I will get too. The hats were stunning, OMG, Victoria’s was chic, cute, loved the color and the hair was working.

I loved them; there was one in particular that was “FREAKIN” Amazing, it was a side hat, shinny charcoal which also had a bow on her hair. My God, I wanted that hat, for my collection ofcourse (not for me, I have a big head, no sense of making it bigger). Anyway and the Bird wearing it was lovely as well.

There were a few I hated, the first that comes to mind in Camilla’s…(What were you thinking). You’re Camilla!!!! You should have had one of the CHICest, most Stunning, most Savage, most OOTW-“Out Of This World” hat. This should had been the hat of all hats, yet you went with that pasty beige color atrocity which had a bow or a flower, I had to pull away and not look any further, two thumbs down.

Also, The Queen, Lemon? Wow, although the color is very in now because of spring but the hat, What Happened? I assume that hat was the most expensive of all the hats there but so simple? I, me, myself would have had the most Kickass Alexis Carrington, throw down, in your face Badass hat. Mine would have told every other hat to go home, even the fabulous Victoria and Black Charcoal hat with bow; that I just adore.

I won’t go on but Prince William and Harry’s cousins (Eugenie and Beatrice) did not fend well either, maybe the cute little blue feathered one but not the other hat which looked like abnormal curved antlers. OMG WWST (what was she thinking).

It was a wonderful wedding; Unfortunately, I had to get to work but not before seeing them on the balcony and seeing them kiss, as I did before with Charles and Diana.

The wedding has set the tone of my day, nothing better to see a lovely wedding and or celebration in the morning before going to work.

I have attached information from the Official Royal Wedding website and The Huffington Post, so you can read and catch up as I did.

The Huffington Post:

It's Sarah Burton!

The Alexander McQueen designer made Kate Middleton's wedding dress.

Burton was long-rumored to be the dressmaker, with buzz starting in March that she'd been tapped for the job. The Sunday Times of London first claimed Burton was The Chosen One and the rest of the British newspapers and, of course, Twitter really went to town.

But, Burton squelched the speculation, telling Vogue UK, "I am not doing it," and McQueen CEO Jonathan Akeroyd, who was said to have leaked the news to a colleague, which then ended up in the Times, denied the reports, remarking, "No, not at all. I am the CEO. I would know if we were doing it."

The turning point was Thursday night when a photograph of a woman appearing to be Burton was spotted entering The Goring Hotel, where Kate Middleton spent the night.

Miss Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress has been designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen.

Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing. Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen's work. Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress.

The dress epitomizes timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom. The dress design pays tribute to the Arts and Crafts tradition, which advocated truth to materials and traditional craftsmanship using simple forms and often Romantic styles of decoration. Ms Burton's design draws on this heritage, additionally giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive, contemporary and feminine character.

The design

The lace appliqué for the bodice and skirt was hand-made by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The lace design was hand-engineered (appliquéd) using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, which originated in Ireland in the 1820s. Individual flowers have been hand-cut from lace and hand-engineered onto ivory silk tulle to create a unique and organic design, which incorporates the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.

Hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace has been used throughout the bodice and skirt, and has been used for the underskirt trim. With laces coming from different sources, much care was taken to ensure that each flower was the same color. The whole process was overseen and put together by hand by Ms Burton and her team.

The dress is made with ivory and white satin gazar. The skirt echoes an opening flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats. The train measures two meters 70 centimeters. The ivory satin bodice, which is narrowed at the waist and padded at the hips, draws on the Victorian tradition of corsetry and is a hallmark of Alexander McQueen's designs. The back is finished with 58 gazar and organza covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops. The underskirt is made of silk tulle trimmed with Cluny lace.

The Fabrics

French Chantilly lace was combined with English Cluny lace to be hand-worked in the Irish Carrickmacross needlework tradition.

All other fabrics used in the creation of the dress were sourced from and supplied by British companies. The choice of fabrics followed extensive research by Sarah Burton and her team.

The Royal School of Needlework

The Royal School of Needlework (RSN), based at Hampton Court Palace, assisted the Alexander McQueen team in accurately cutting out the delicate motifs from the lace fabrics and positioning the lace motifs with precision into the new design. The lace motifs were pinned, 'framed up' and applied with stab stitching every two to three millimeters around each lace motif. The workers washed their hands every thirty minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours, to keep them sharp and clean.

The RSN workers included existing staff, former staff, tutors, graduates and students, with the youngest aged 19.

The RSN's work was used primarily for the train and skirt of the Bride's dress, the bodice and sleeves, the Bride's shoes and the Bride's veil.

Veil and Jewellery

The veil is made of layers of soft, ivory silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers, which was embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. The veil is held in place by a Cartier 'halo' tiara, lent to Miss Middleton by The Queen. The 'halo' tiara was made by Cartier in 1936 and was purchased by The Duke of York (later King George VI) for his Duchess (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) three weeks before he succeeded his brother as King. The tiara was presented to Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen) by her mother on the occasion of her 18th birthday.

The Bride's earrings, by Robinson Pelham, are diamond-set stylized oak leaves with a pear shaped diamond set drop and a pavé set diamond acorn suspended in the centre. Inspiration for the design comes from the Middleton family's new coat of arms, which includes acorns and oak leaves. The earrings were made to echo the tiara. The earrings were a personal gift to the Bride from her parents for her Wedding Day.

Robinson Pelham have also designed and made a pair of diamond earrings for Miss Philippa Middleton. These earrings are more floral in nature to compliment the headpiece worn by Miss Philippa Middleton during the Service.

A tourmaline and diamond pendant and matching earrings have been designed and made for Mrs. Carole Middleton. Two gold stick pins, one with a single gold acorn at the head and the other with an oak leaf, are also worn respectively by the Father of the Bride, Mr. Michael Middleton, and the Bride's brother, Mr. James Middleton.

Wedding Shoes

The wedding shoes have made hand-made by the team at Alexander McQueen and are made of ivory duchesse satin with lace hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.

Burton issued a statement to the press talking about the dress (via Harper's Bazaar):

“It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honor to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created. I am delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen’s designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day.

“The last few months have been very exciting and an incredible experience for my team and I as we have worked closely with Catherine to create this dress under conditions of the strictest secrecy. Understandably, Catherine has been very keen to keep the details of her dress a secret, which is every bride’s prerogative, and we gave an undertaking to keep our role confidential until the day of the wedding.

“Catherine looked absolutely stunning today, and the team at Alexander McQueen are very proud of what we have created. The dress was just one component of a spectacular day, and I do not think it is appropriate to comment any further beyond saying that I personally am very grateful and honored to have been given the opportunity to work on this project, and I wish TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge every good wish for the future.”

Many Blessings to the Happy Couple (William and Kate) and the Royals. Harry your turn!

Thanks to my friends and followers

Viktor Franovik

Photos taken from: Reuters, Associated Press, Getty Images and AFP