Table of contents for Spring 2024 in Chic Compass

LIQUID STAR PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGNER: DAVID TUPAZ PHOTOGRAPHY: JAIME LIM The only established fashion and couture designer in the entire State of Nevada, representing Las Vegas in every significant Fashion Week in the country, David Tupaz surprised the runway with a blast of colors for his Fall 2024-25 Boutique Collection during LA Fashion Week powered by Art Hearts Fashion. The palette of vivid hues usually seen for Spring and Summer collections dominated the catwalk with models in fun ensembles of Fire Engine Reds, Canary Yellows, Fuchsias, and Emerald green, accessorized with bright color-dyed faux furs and knitted gloves. David explained, “Fall fashions usually bring the blacks, greys, browns, burgundy, camels to major runways worldwide…I wanted to change that basic and typical approach and make Fall alive with colors. Why not?” And…

“There was Paul, and then Ringo, Yoko, and Olivia (Harrison), but then you looked up in the sound booth, and there was George Martin with his sleeves rolled up next to his son Giles!” Chris Carter, the legendary host of “Breakfast With The Beatles” (on SiriusXM and KLOS in Los Angeles), is waxing nostalgic about June 30, 2006, the historic Grand Opening of Cirque du Soleil's Beatles’ LOVE show at the Mirage Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Historic for many reasons, but mainly because this would be the last great gathering of the Fab Four family. “It was like you were at Abbey Road or something!” Carter says. After many years behind the mic of America's longest-running Beatles show, Carter was one of the fortunate few to…

Las Vegas off-strip dining has been exploding in the last four or six years, and now there is yet another addition… special…very special. Wineaux just opened at UnCommons in Southwest Las Vegas, and it is a collaborative effort between renowned culinary and wine experts coming together to create a brilliant space. Founded and created by James Beard Award-winning Chef Shawn McClain, Master Sommelier Nick Hetzel, and restaurateurs Richard and Sarah Camarota, Wineaux offers a unique and immersive experience for wine enthusiasts unmatched in Las Vegas. Wineaux brings a passionately curated wine bar and retail experience for its guests. The wine selection is designed to encourage wine exploration for the seasoned collector and those new to wine collecting. Chef McClain brilliantly designs the menu to pair with the hand-selected wines to…

Vibrant Vibrant Well, at least that was my initial takeaway. My inaugural visit to the Southwest Vegas Valley's newest luxury resort off the Strip gaming destination. Welcome to Durango Casino & Resort. Nestled in the vibrant landscape of Southwest Las Vegas, Durango Casino & Resort stands as a testament to perseverance and innovation. Between the natural light flowing into the $780 million resort, the inside-out concept of some of the property's restaurants, the light color scheme, and plenty of open space, there's no question this is a modern resort. Standing tall just across the I-215 beltway from IKEA, it has emerged from nearly two decades of dormancy; this architectural marvel opened its doors in 2023 to resounding acclaim. As a seasoned writer in the art, architecture, and design arenas, I…

Celebrating its 55th anniversary on July 2, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino may have had a few name changes since its days as the International Hotel and the Las Vegas Hilton, but there's no doubt the off-Strip property has become one of Las Vegas’ most iconic resorts. A star in its own right, the legendary property has welcomed countless celebrities ever since Barbra Streisand opened its showroom in 1969. Although best known for being the theater where Elvis Presley performed 636 consecutive sold-out shows spanning seven years, the list of artists who have performed inside the International Theater over the decades reads like a “Who's Who in Entertainment,” according to Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino's Vice President of Public & Community Relations, Gordon Prouty. Johnny Cash, Wayne Newton,…

The late Sandy Colón Peltyn was a career-driven woman who dedicated her life to giving back to the community. Her love for philanthropy resulted in her forming the Sandy Peltyn Foundation of Excellence, a nonprofit organization supporting the educational growth of young Latinos in the Las Vegas community through events such as the annual Señoras of Excellence Señores of Distinction Awards Gala. “I met Sandy in 2003 when she hosted her first gala,” says Maggie Arias-Petrel, currently serving as the president of the Sandy Peltyn Foundation of Excellence. “I wanted to learn more about her nonprofit and the gala. We kept in touch and got to know each other better.” Arias-Petrel and Peltyn formed a strong bond and were close-knit until her passing in 2018. “Sandy was like a big…

We are bombarded with endless appeals for an infinite number of causes impacting the planet, like climate change, hunger, human trafficking, and poverty. But poverty is pervasive even in America. So, how do we turn it around in today's environment? How exciting, then, that the Jeremiah Program (JP), one of the country's most proven models for attacking poverty head-on, has finally come to Las Vegas. The program started 25 years ago in Minneapolis and has now spread to eight other cities, with Las Vegas and Baltimore joining the national nonprofit in 2022. The organization is lauded as one of the most successful models for disrupting the cycle of generational poverty by building economic mobility among single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. “JP is a national thought…

How powerful are words? Just ask Ann Parenti! “When Debra Russell asked me one simple question in a meeting in November 2012, my original idea of what I wanted to do began to explode!” If you know Ann, you can easily understand that nothing is impossible. She seems to have no limit to what she can accomplish … even conducting a seminar series called Possibilities. So began Midnight Muse – The Book, The Music, and The Film under the Forgotten Song Music publication company she formed a few years before. It is an outstanding achievement that pays tribute to the musicians behind the headlines who made Las Vegas a mecca for entertainers to perform 24/7. It also acknowledges some of the city's artists and poets. Where did the idea come…

Chic Compass Launch Party at Gipsy Nightclub. (Photos by Bradley Hamm, Cashman Photo) UNLV College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame (Photography by Anthony Billante, Cashman Photo) UNLV College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame (Photography by Jam David, Cashman Photo) Art from the Heart & Food for the Soul Chic Compass Launch Party at Via Brasil Songs from the Movies with Giada Valenti at Myron's Cabaret…

The situation … well, it was complicated. The decision to continue his professional dancing career versus returning to his home, layered with leaving all family, all friends, and his life as he knew it… was challenging and clear. Ray Guzman made the life-altering, difficult, yet defiant choice. When Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn (German-American magicians and entertainers) brought Havana Night Club The Show to the Stardust Resort and Casino in 2004, Ray was a dancer with the fifty-three Cuban performers, seeking asylum in the United States, in one of the largest single mass defection of people from Cuba. November 15, 2004, CBS reported, “The performers arrived by bus at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, where they submitted paperwork for asylum.” Ray and other troupe members chose to petition to…

“Barbie” may have been shut out of the Oscars, but Barbie's Ken, Ryan Gosling, saved the show. Dressed in glittery pink pants and suit ensemble, Gosling sang “I'm Just Ken” and performed with 62 other Kens onstage, including some of his cast mates - Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Scott Evans. Surprise guests at the performance were the producer and co-writer of the song, Mark Ronson, who played a pink guitar, Guns ‘N’ Roses guitar legend Slash, and Wolfgang Van Halen of Mammoth WVH, who played rhythm guitar. Another memorable appearance was a naked John Cena, who presented the Best Costume Design ironically. The “Suicide Squad” actor was wearing a nude-colored “modesty garment,” a piece of clothing used in film, TV, and theater productions to cover an actor's…

My direct involvement in developing hundreds of restaurants in the last twenty-five years and the background and history of each of those projects have left an amazing legacy of culinary excellence throughout the U.S. that leaves me breathless at times. Initially, I became involved in the restaurant industry in the late 1980s in the New York City area. Soon after, I fell in love with the varied mechanisms surrounding the restaurant industry—especially food preparation. Enough so that I was trained at a well-regarded culinary school to learn all I could about commercial food preparation. I have used these skills to develop several food offerings in the casual dining industry and a full-service Italian restaurant. When I decided to become a full-time business consultant in the Washington, D.C. area in the…

Step into the realm of sensory delight at The Golden Steer, where culinary artistry seamlessly blends with an ambiance steeped in elegance and history. As you immerse yourself in this unique atmosphere, your gaze is inevitably drawn to the distinguished walls adorned with a captivating mix of art, antique firearms, classic memorabilia, and vintage photographs, evoking a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era. In this moment, the realization washes over you – you have entered a timeless sanctuary, a revered bastion of Las Vegas lore that stands as a testament to its rich heritage. Like a beacon amidst the towering casinos of the Strip, The Golden Steer exudes an aura of tradition and prestige, beckoning guests to experience its enduring legacy firsthand. Since its inception in 1958, the walls…