CREATORS, COCKTAILS & CONVERSATIONS Continues 7/10 at Bay Street Theater

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the next event for the CREATORS, COCKTAILS, & CONVERSATIONS series, presented by Bay Street Theater and Hamptons magazine. The series continues with "Style Setters" on July 10. Enjoy a glass of wine and join fashion veterans as they discuss their inspiration, ideas, and iconic career moments. The third event will be "Design in Mind" on August 21 with interior design experts. The series is sponsored by Harbor's Edge Condominiums. The events will be moderated by Samantha Yanks, Editor-in-Chief, Hamptons magazine. All events start at 5 pm. Tickets are $20 each and are available by visiting www.baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500.

Three fashion veterans will take to the stage to share their inspiration, ideas, and iconic career moments. The fashion veterans of the evening areNanette Lepore, Lisa Perry, Michelle Smith and Elie Tahari. This conversation with the writers includes a cocktail reception following the discussion at Harbor's Edge for the first 40 ticket holders.

Nanette Lepore is known for her bold colors, evocative prints and signature silhouettes, Nanette Lepore has become one of the leading names in contemporary American fashion. Inspired by her artsy bohemian childhood and passion for a good party, Nanette's designs are adored by style makers and celebrities alike, including Michelle Obama, Nicki Minaj, Scarlett Johansson, Taylor Swift, Abigail Breslin, Blake Lively, Arianna Huffington, and Kristin Chenoweth. Nanette's outspoken efforts to protect New York City's Garment Center have helped to raise awareness and demand for American-made clothing. Today, Nanette Lepore has grown into an international brand that offers women's apparel, swimwear, accessories and homeware.

Lisa Perry is a fashion designer based in New York City. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a focus on textile technology and color theory. Lisa's love and knowledge of fashion and textiles eventually brought her to immerse herself into collecting vintage couture clothing from the 60s and 70s. Lisa had been drawn to the simplicity, timelessness, beautiful construction and uniqueness of the designs, and for a period of ten years vintage was her wardrobe. In early 2007, with the encouragement of friends, she decided to start her own women's wear collection to reflect the spirit of that time with clothes composed of clean minimal lines, geometric shapes and bold colors. Since its inception, Lisa has developed her line into a comprehensive collection with a range of categories. Today the world of Lisa Perry includes women's wear, accessories, children's wear and designs for the home. In addition, as an avid art collector, every year since 2009, a special limited edition collection is created in collaboration with an artist or foundation such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Robert Indiana. Personally Lisa is very involved in women's rights issues and will spend quality time over the next year helping the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The MILLY collection epitomizes bold, advanced contemporary fashion with a graceful edge. Designer and founder Michelle Smith transforms classics by merging American sportswear influences with distinctive Parisian atelier techniques. Smith's eye for impeccable detail, use of luxurious, cutting-edge fabrics and precise tailoring have made MILLY a cult favorite across the globe. Convinced from a very early age that fashion design was her calling, Smith earned a scholarship to Moore College of Art and Design to study fashion illustration during high school. She later followed her passion to New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. Smith worked at the Hermés boutique in Manhattan to help fund her tuition. Upon graduation, she wrote to the President of Hermés requesting an internship at the Paris headquarters. Her request was granted, making Michelle Smith, the first American Hermés employee sent to work in Paris to work with the legendary fashion house.

While in Paris, Smith continued her studies at the prestigious design school ESMOD while interning at Louis Vuitton, Torrente and Christian Dior Haute Couture. Smith returned home to New York three years later, intent on establishing her own design business, and launched MILLY in 2001. Celebrities including Beyoncé, Kate Middleton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis and Sofia Vergara are counted among MILLY's loyal fans. The MILLY collection is sold at the finest specialty and department stores worldwide, including Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, Takashimaya and Isetan. MILLY has successfully expanded into categories beyond ready-to-wear, including handbags, small leather goods, MILLY Cabana swimwear, and for budding fashion lovers, the MILLY Minis childrens wear collection, largely inspired by Smith's daughter, Sophia. MILLY ships to 250 countries worldwide, and this spring will mark the launch of two free-standing MILLY boutiques in the Middle East to complement flagship boutiques in Tokyo and at 900 Madison Avenue in New York City.

Designer Elie Tahari has excelled at creating stylish, desirable clothes for over 40 years and has built one of the most successful fashion brands in the world. With his unique talent for dressing modern and sophisticated women, Elie Tahari runs a business with a global presence on five continents and more than 600 stores worldwide.

In 2013, to mark the designers 40th anniversary in the fashion business, Elie was honored by New York City's Mayor Bloomberg with a Mayoral Proclamation declaring Wednesday, September 4th, 2013 "Elie Tahari Day." To commemorate the anniversary, Elie created a special capsule collection, "Elie Tahari Edition 1974", which featured updated iconic silhouettes from the brand's four decades in fashion and become one of the best-selling collections in his career. Over the span of his 40 years Tahari has also dressed some of Hollywood's top celebrities, including Angelia Jolie, Oprah, Jennifer Hudson, Beyoncé, Reese Witherspoon, Debra Messing, Emmy Rossum, Kate Bosworth and Tina Fey, to name a few.

After spending his early years in an Israeli orphanage, Elie made his way to New York City in his twenties. While moonlighting as an electrician at a boutique in Greenwich Village in the 70's, he was introduced to the world of fashion. Inspired by the dazzling disco era, Elie popularized the tube top and from there his eponymous label was born. Elie's creations were so well received that in 1974 he became one of the first fashion designers to open a boutique on Madison Avenue. In the 80's, Elie turned his attentions to the tailored suit- a design effort that redefined a decade.

In 2006, Elie Tahari expanded into menswear with suits, shirts and ties, in addition to launching women's accessories including handbags, shoes and jewelry. More recently, Elie has grown the brand to include eyewear, hosiery and home, making Elie Tahari one of the most successful labels in the fashion business. His clientele continues to revel in the feminine detailing, sensual fabrics and subtle textures that have defined the much-loved brand and his inspired collections of understated grace and elegance for over four decades.

About Hamptons magazine: Hamptons magazine, celebrating 37 years, is the Hamptons' leading luxury lifestyle publication featuring the latest in the worlds of art, culture, dining, entertainment, society, fashion, philanthropy, politics, real estate and nightlife on Long Island's "East End". Hamptonsmagazine, published by Niche Media Holdings, LLC, was the first publication to etch the luxury, regional publishing category. Niche Media's city-specific publications also include: Aspen Peak, Austin Way, Boston Common, Capitol File, Gotham, Los Angeles Confidential, Michigan Avenue, Ocean Drive, Philadelphia Style and Vegas magazines. Its custom publishing titles include Art Basel, Wynn, Maison&Objet Miami Beach and The Mall at Short Hills. Through our strategic distribution model and significant investment in verified data from Nielsen Claritas, Niche Media is the only regional, lifestyle publishing company that is guaranteed to reach the sophisticated and affluent audience in each of our cities. Niche Media titles exceed 14,000 pages with a combined annual distribution of 4.6 million copies nationally.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. We serve as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.

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