Million Martinis And A Contest With Spectacular Prize

It has suddenly occurred to me that I have never had my Birthday Party on Monday before. This past Monday, however, proved to me that the degree of happiness on your Birthday does not depend of the day of the week. I turned 35 ! Yes, indeed and the funny part - I have never felt so great and so excited about my Birthday as I did this year. Ever since I was a little girl, each of my Birthdays was always welcomed with great anticipation of tiny little miracles, great food, company of my beloved friends and, of course, gifts. This Birthday was no different and what a fantastic celebration it was!

I woke up to a beautiful bouquet of white roses from my hubby and a wonderful gift from my daughter Anastasia. We had lunch in"Russian Tea Room", enjoyed boat rides and spent our evening drinking pomegranate martinis and dining in the beautiful garden with our guests. If you never tried pomegranate martinis - please, indulge yourself ! It is the single most delicious drink I have ever tried. I was introduced to it at the annual "Apollo Dance" in The Metropolitan Museum Of Art couple of years ago. It seemed to be an official drink of the Ball, sponsored by Carolina Herrera. I must have had 6 of them which is very unusual for me and ever since than I am completely obsessed with pomegranate martinis! My guests enjoyed it tremendously.

Gifts!At this point in my life I do not know what I enjoy more: receiving gifts or giving gifts! it is, most certainly, an Art with in itself.:-))) . Out of all the possible options I especially love flowers, books, tickets to the Theater and chocolates. I was blessed with wonderful friends who know exactly what I like and to have friends like this is the most wonderful gift one can have.

At the end of August it would be 3 month since I started my Blog.What a great occasion to celebrate, don't' you think? Originally, I thought I would celebrate 3 month Birthday at the end of the month, but with my upcoming apprenticeship with Mr. Stephen Jones to which I have to depart in 2 weeks, I picked today to announce the beginning of the Contest. The Contest will run for 5 days and the lucky winner will receive spectacular skirt by Roberto Cavalli (YES! the one you see on the picture with the models) as a gift. The skirt belongs to Cavalli Spring/Summer 2006 Collection and is made of yards and yards of silk taffeta and silk. It was purchased by me in preparation for the editorial photo shoot for my first Collection "Je Ne regrette Rien" and it served its purpose in the most divine manner. It is in immaculate condition and was worn by a model for the photo shoot only. The skirt marked as size 40 and will fit 28 inch waist. During the next 5 days you are welcome to submit 15 answers to the 15 questions you will find below. The first one of you to submit correct answers will receive this wonderful prize!The winner will be announced on August 17th!

Hat "Anna Pavlove" designed by me in my Atelier as a part of "Je Ne Regrette Rien". Photographed by Zorz Studio, new York, St. Regis Hotel, 2008
The answers to the questions are hidden in my Blog posts and in my website www.anyacaliendo.com and so the questions are:

1). What moment marked for me the beginning of my love affair with Fashion?

2). What was the name of my first Collection and when was it launched?

3). How old was I when I first discovered my interest for the fabulous hats?

4). Please, name 5 ladies for whom I would love to design hats?

5). What is the meaning of the word Objet D'Art when used in relation to hat design?

6.) I have designed 2 Collections of editorial hats. Only 2 hats out of both Collections were made in divine Red color. Please, name this two hats.

7.) Please, describe my first pair of pointe shoes.

8.) Please, name the Theater and the name of the Ballet for which Karl Lagerfeld designed the costume of 'Dying Swan".

9.) Anna Pavlova became an inspiration for creating hat I named in her honor. What sparked the passion for Ballet in young Anna Pavlova?

10.) What is the name of exclusive French Atelier I have a privilege to work with when it comes to deigning hand made flowers?

11.) What is the name of the model-muse behind creation of my Atelier and my first Collection "Je Ne Regrrette Rien"?

12.) "Bonjour", "Au Revoir" and "Love Story" are all part of what story?

13.) My # 1 guilty pleasure which became an inspiration behind the certain hat?What was this hat made of?

14.) Who was, in fact, the inventor behind so called "pinned up" method ?

15.) Which two accessories, in my opinion, the girl needs to feel always chic?

Good luck to all of you!:-)))