This Hotel Means so Much to Me

Beauty, Family & Friends, Fashion, Makeup

I grew up in beautiful Puerto Rico. When I was a young teenager I had a friend whose parents were members of the Hotel Caribe Hilton which has a lovely and very cozy beach. I would just love to go there with them. Amazing Piña Coladas (we only got to drink the virgin version of it) It has a wonderful tropical ambiance. Great bar with lovely live music at night. Well, I fell in love several times in this very hotel.

When I was choosing where to make a Mother’s Day photo shoot, I had no doubt in my mind where I wanted it. In the very special gardens of the Caribe Hilton Hotel.

Since I have 3 boys. I borrowed my brother’s daughter who is not a model (although she could be, she could also very well be a movie star) she is a gynecologist.

This photo shoot meant a lot to me. So many memories. Such a beautiful place. Such a lovely Mother’s gift. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it.

And here is the story of the wonderful and charismatic Caribe Hilton Hotel:

In early 1946, as part of the Puerto Rican industrialization effort known as Operation Bootstrap, the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. decided to erect a modern luxury hotel. The facility would be owned by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, but leased to the multinational hospitality operator that provided the better bid. The hotel would have 300 bedrooms, the necessary ancillary facilities, and located next to Fort San Jerónimo in Puerta de Tierra.

A competition was held to select the design, with three architectural firms in Puerto Rico invited: Schimmelpfennig, Ruiz y González; The Office of Henry Klumb; and Toro Ferrer y Torregrosa. Two additional firms from Florida were also invited to participate: Frederick G. Seelman from Palm Beach and Robert Swartburg from Miami. These two firms submitted Spanish Renaissance-style designs, while the three Puerto Rican firms presented modern designs inspired by the International style. The final design chosen was by Toro-Ferrer, who also designed the Modern Movement-style Supreme Court Building in San Juan.

To operate the hotel, the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co. invited seven leading American hotel firms. Conrad Hilton, being from New Mexico, opened his letter back with “Mi estimado amigo” and won over the Puerto Ricans. The hotel opened on December 9, 1949. It was Hilton’s first hotel outside the Continental United States and made Hilton the first international hotel company. The government-backed Puerto Rico Industrial Development Corp. (PRIDCO) spent $7 million to build and furnish the hotel. After it was built, the government leased the hotel to the Hilton Corp. on a 20-year lease. The hotel was the first in Puerto Rico to offer radios in every room and individually-controlled air conditioners.

Guests for the grand opening included Gloria Swanson, Eastern Air Lines President Eddie Rickenbacker, David Rockefeller, and numerous other celebrities and notables.

The hotel claims to be the birthplace of the Piña Colada. In 1954, bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero spent three months creating a mix of rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice.

The original hotel was expanded over the years from 300 to 646 guestrooms. After managing the hotel for 48 years, Hilton International bought the property in 1998. Hilton closed the hotel the following year for a complete renovation, lasting nine months. It reopened on December 25, 1999, celebrating its 50th anniversary after $50 million in renovations.

In 2005, the hotel was expanded with the huge Paseo Caribe complex, including shops, restaurants, and 264 villas marketed as the Condado Lagoon Villas.

Piña Colada
The Piña Colada was created and first served at the Caribe Hilton on August 15, 1954 by bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero. Spending three months creating a mix of rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, Monchito personally served his iconic creation for 35 years while he worked as a bartender at the hotel. In 1978, the Piña Colada was declared the official drink of Puerto Rico.

Information: Historic Hotels of America; Photos provided by Caribe Hilton Hotel PR

Annie&AnnetteVaillant_0537 as Smart Object-1

Astonishing Gala Dresses by Harry Robles; Hotel: Caribe Hilton; My jewelry by Joias; Annie’s Jewelry: Private collection. Hair & Makeup: Alfredo Monterola: Photography: Pablo Díaz. Warm thanks to Betty González from the Caribe Hilton Hotel for making all this possible.

Annie&AnnetteVaillant_0655 as Smart Object-1

To be continued… More beautiful dresses from Harry Robles. Photo shoot at the Caribe Hilton Hotel. Stay tuned!

Stella Red

Beauty, Fashion, Jewelry

Red is such a strong and vivid color. I love red at night. I prefer a lighter color on my lips when wearing a red colored dress. I’m wearing a beautiful Stella Nolasco red lace dress that is perfect for a prom or a more formal activity. Paired with Lido Jewels. Amazing ruby earrings. Black Gucci shoes.

Beauty, Fashion & Survival

Beauty, Fashion, Survival

You may find my fan page in Facebook: Annette Vaillant The Blog

I’m a Beauty, Fashion & Survival Blogger

BEAUTY, because VERY SOON I’ll be sharing my make-up secrets with you. Not only that, but I’ll throw in some tips on how to pose for photos so you will look prettier, younger and thinner. From all my years working in the magazine business, I have a Master’s at that. . FASHION, because I will be doing amazing photo shoots just because I know my followers are extremely demanding and knowledgeable. And SURVIVAL, because we women are ALL survivors and I want you to know you are NOT ALONE. I’ll tell you how I dealt with extreme and many times painful situations in a positive way. And that is what my blog is about. I’m sure glad you are following me and I truly value each and everyone of you!

So it’s right here that you will read my stories but If you want to follow me daily you may go to Annette Vaillant The Blog in Facebook.

See you there!

Is Annette Vaillant a Model? The Story Behind the Blog

Survival

No, I am not a model. Nor do I pretend to be one.

A while ago a lady wrote a message on my fan page explaining to me that there was something she didn’t understand. That it was not clear to her whether I was in USA with my husband having him treated for his condition or whether I was modeling in Puerto Rico. The answer to these questions is: Neither.

Yes. My husband has a chronic disease. Right now I am actually sitting in a tiny chair in the corner of a hospital’s emergency room waiting for them to move us into a room (this has been my reality for over two years now). Proof that the internet has limitless possibilities and that you can post from anywhere in the world.

So this is the thing. I do photo shoots once a month which I post every week. I sit most of the time behind my computer with a bad hair day, no makeup and looking quite terrible. I often laugh at myself thinking: “If they could see me now”. Thank God blogs have no Skype.

I had worked in the magazine business for the past 14 years and had gone through all the different departments. I was Editor in Chief for a very important local magazine company, I was director of sales for two magazines, and my last job, which lasted for the past 4 years, was Commercial Director for Televisa Publishing + Digital which closed it’s doors last December. Fifty people were left without a job, including myself, of course. Here, at Televisa, I managed the fan pages for Cosmopolitan, Vanidades and Buenhogar magazines for almost 3 years. This is where I got my experience and the sensibility needed to handle social media.

I had worked on my blog for the past 9 months before launching it when I lost my job. I was kind of like a little scared of doing it because I didn’t know what the reaction would be. Why? Because most bloggers are pretty young and thin. I am neither.

Being a true advocate of women’s rights, I refuse to let anyone put a label on me or tell me what I can or cannot do because of either my sex, age, weight or whatever other limitation they want to impose on me.

We, women, have no expiration date. We can accomplish anything we set our minds to.

I am not a model. I have won no recognitions. The only badge I carry is being a breast cancer survivor. The reason why I “pose”, hire professional photographers and makeup artists, is because I want to present to women the most beautiful images I can. I am a perfectionist and want everything to be visually beautiful. The design, the photographs, the outfits.

The people who I hire to work with me on my blog, are all ex-employees of Televisa who were left without a job.

Even though I am quite opinionated, I will not write about religion, politics or any other issue whatsoever. My blog is about Beauty Fashion and Survival. There are a lot of bad news out there and all of us need some time off. We women need to dream, to hope.

This blog is totally aspirational. I don’t own most of the outfits I post. It’s been over a year since I last partied, traveled for pleasure, or had dinner at a restaurant with friends, for that matter.

I want to prove to all the women out there who either feel lonely, lost their jobs, are raising children by themselves, are going through a terrible empty nest syndrome, are caretakers for a loved one etc. that there is always a new beginning and that you are not alone.

This blog is your time off.

Here, in this tiny little chair in a corner of an emergency room, I have wings and I can fly.

Spanish Version:

¿ANNETTE VAILLANT ES MODELO?

(Para las nuevas seguidoras de este blog y del segmento “El Blog de Annette Vaillant” en “Viva la Tarde” por WAPA TV, quisiera leyeran este post, finalmente traducido al español, el cual fue uno de los primeros que escribí. Así, quizás, entiendan mejor de que se trata esta iniciativa. Gracias!)

¿Annette Vaillant es modelo?

No, no soy modelo. Ni pretendo serlo.
Hace un tiempo atrás recibí un mensaje en mi fan-page: Annette Vaillant The Blog, de una mujer con una duda muy peculiar: A ella no le quedaba claro si yo estaba en los Estados Unidos cuidando a mi marido que padecía alguna condición médica o en Puerto Rico modelando. La contestación: ninguna de las dos.
Sí. Mi esposo padece una enfermedad crónica. De hecho, en este momento estoy sentada en una pequeña silla en una esquina de la sala de emergencias de un hospital en Puerto Rico, esperando que nos trasladen a una habitación (mi realidad desde hace dos años, y prueba de que el internet nos da la posibilidad de mantenernos comunicados desde cualquier parte del planeta).
Esto es lo que hago: participo en las sesiones de fotos una vez al mes y las “posteo” cada semana. Sin embargo, la mayor parte del tiempo me la paso en la computadora, con el pelo desaliñado, cero maquillaje y un aspecto fatal. Cuántas veces me he reído de mí misma pensando “¡si me vieran ahora!”.
Gracias a Dios que los blogs no tienen Skype.
Durante 14 años laboré en el mundo de las revistas, y tuve la oportunidad de desempeñarme en todas sus áreas. Fui Editora en Jefe de una casa publicadora muy importante en Puerto Rico, directora de ventas para dos revistas y, por los últimos cuatro años, Directora Comercial para Televisa Publishing + Digital, la cual cerró operaciones el pasado mes de diciembre. Cincuenta personas quedaron sin empleo, incluyéndome a mí. En Televisa además, era la encargada de los “fan pages” de revistas como Cosmopolitan, Vanidades y Buenhogar, y fue allí donde desarrollé la sensibilidad que se requiere para manejar las redes sociales.
Antes de lanzar el blog, trabajé nueve meses puliéndolo, perfeccionándolo. Estaba un poco asustada de lanzarlo porque no sabía cuál sería la reacción del público. ¿Por qué? Porque la mayoría de las blogueras son jóvenes y esbeltas. Y yo no soy ninguna de las dos.
Como verdadera defensora de los derechos de la mujer, rehúso que me pongan un sello o me digan qué o no hacer por razón de mi sexo, edad, peso o cualquier otra “limitación”.
Nosotras, las mujeres, no tenemos fecha de expiración. Y podemos lograr todo aquello que nos propongamos.
No soy modelo. No he ganado premios ni reconocimientos. La única medalla que llevo conmigo es el ser una sobreviviente de cáncer de seno. La razón por la que “poso” para las sesiones de fotos y contrato maquillistas y fotógrafos profesionales es porque deseo regalarles a las mujeres unas imágenes llenas de hermosura. Soy perfeccionista y me gusta que todo a mi alrededor luzca visualmente bello: los diseños, las fotografías, los vestidos.
Los profesionales que trabajan en este blog son todos ex empleados de Televisa que quedaron sin empleo.
Aunque siempre tengo una opinión para todo, no hablaré en este blog de religión, política o cualquier “issue” de ese tipo. Mi blog es acerca de la Belleza, la Moda y la Supervivencia. Hay bastantes malas noticias en este mundo, y creo que necesitamos un descanso. A nosotras nos hace falta soñar.
Este blog es un total sueño: no soy dueña de la mayor parte de los vestidos y hace ya más de un año que no voy a una fiesta o a un viaje de placer.
Quiero mostrarles a todas las mujeres que se encuentren solas, desempleadas, criando hijos por sí solas, sufriendo el síndrome del “nido vacío” de manera terrible o cuidando de un ser querido enfermo, que siempre hay un nuevo comienzo, y que no estás sola.
Este blog será tu tiempo libre.
Aquí, en esta pequeña silla en la esquina de una sala de emergencias, tengo alas… y puedo volar.

The Truth Behind This Photo Shoot

Beauty, Fashion, Resort Living, Travel

Well, the dress didn’t fit. The girls from Eclíptica were in a real rush finishing dresses for “Premio lo Nuestro” and “San Juan Moda”, so they had to give me this particular dress, which is absolutely stunning but I believe it must have been a size 4 or 6, right off the runway. Okay, so I was walking around the hotel with an open back. The hotel was packed because of the blizzards and all the tourists would stare at me in astonishment. So this is what I would tell them: “Well you see, my son is getting married and we’re doing a casual photo session. I gained a little weight but, no problem, I’m on a diet right now and will definitely lose the extra pounds before the celebration. Oh dear!

Dress: Eclíptica; Makeup & Hair: Ingrid Román; Accesories: Merodea

Ecliptica White

White Dress 6

White Dresß

White Dress2

white dress4

Medieval Romance

Beauty, Fashion, Resort Living, Travel

I love this luxurious floral printed silk chiffon ruffled tunic with black lace and matching silk chiffon palazzo pant. Perfect for resort travel. By Lisa Cappalli.