House Concert with Larry Tyrrell and Michael Mandrell with special guest Jenny Bird

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You are invited to attend a private house concert withPlease RSVP to [email protected] to reserve a seat for you and your party and to receive the address and further directions to her home. The Shakuhachi is the traditional bamboo flute of Japan. Larry spent 6 years in Japan studying this ancient and ethereal instrument. Michael is a fingerstyle guitar artist, his music delivers equal parts world and New Age, an array of Middle Eastern rhythms, tinges of folk and infusions of Celtic overtones. Meeting in the Pacific NW, Michael and Larry naturally combined their musical inspirations, blending Celtic, jazz, folk and classical in a lovely and lively world fusion melange. Also on the bill is special guest singer/songwriter Jenny Bird, adding her sparkle and magic to the evening’s festivities.

Rita Ora Teams an Edgy Sleeveless Pinstripe Suit With 6-Inch Heels at Work

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Rita Ora amplified the edge factor with her latest look.

The “Phoenix” musician posed in Los Angeles in a black pinstriped sleeveless suit by Greta Constantine, styled by Rob Zangardi and Mariel Haenn. The cropped top featured suiting lapels and a buckled tie closure, while the pants’ wide legs added extra flair. Ora paired the set with sleek silver bangles, rings, and small hoop earrings by Jennifer Fisher, as well as a coordinating chain link necklace by Jenny Bird. Her look was complete with a bold red lip and black leather pouch bag.

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When it came to shoes, the “Anywhere” singer donned a pair of tall black leather ankle boots by Vera Wang. The shoes featured dramatic 6-inch stiletto heels, as well as a thick platform base and sleek pointed toes. Their soles also boasted textured tan rubber, giving the pair a utilitarian edge. Ora isn’t the only star to gravitate towards boots as a summer shoe; Anne Hathaway, Irina Shayk, and Sofia Richie have all donned pairs this season, as well.

Boots have recently emerged as a sleek alternative to pumps, ideal for between-season dressing. Black pairs like Ora’s are the most versatile, as they can be paired summer or fall looks and dressed up or down. However, bold Western styles have also emerged as a trendy take on the staple shoe, as seen on Kourtney Kardashian, Miley Cyrus, and Kendall Jenner this summer. Regardless, Ora hasn’t ditched her pumps just yet; the actress was spotted at the “Suicide Squad” premiere in Los Angeles this week, hitting the red carpet in a pair of crystal-studded PVC stilettos by Christian Louboutin.

Rita Ora attends the premiere of “The Suicide Squad” at The Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles, CA. - Credit: AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN / MEGA

AXELLE/BAUER-GRIFFIN / MEGA

When it comes to shoes, Ora’s styles are varied. The “Let You Love Me” singer often opts for matching sets and monochrome looks from top brands with a variety of aesthetics, like Fendi, Chanel and Dion Lee. Her shoe style follows a similar formula, frequently including on-trend styles; most recently, she’s been seen in ankle-wrap sandals, slip-on mules, and thong sandals from brands like Versace, Kat Maconie, and Miu Miu, among others. The musician has also appeared numerous times at the Met Gala, wearing dramatic gowns from Vera Wang, Prada, Marc Jacobs and more luxury designers.

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Ora’s a mainstay in the fashion industry, having fronted campaigns for brands like Donna Karan, Roberto Cavalli, and Escada. The musician has previously collaborated on fashion collections with Adidas Originals, Escada and Tezenis, as well as a shoe capsule line with Giuseppe Zanotti. She’s also been a longtime partner of ShoeDazzle, creating several collections for the budget-friendly brand. Her latest spring collection featured styles like puffed leather-strap mules, chunky slides, and open-toed boots, all retailing for under $100 on ShoeDazzle.com.

Add a pair of black leather boots to your summer looks, inspired by Rita Ora.

Credit: Courtesy of DSW

Courtesy of DSW

To Buy: Lucky Brand Badita boots, $65 (was $90).

Credit: Courtesy of Zappos

Courtesy of Zappos

To Buy: Aldo Theliven boots, $130.

Credit: Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

To Buy: Schutz Zara boots, $158.

Click through the gallery for more of Rita Ora’s most memorable street style looks over the years.

Launch Gallery: Rita Ora’s Most Memorable Street Style Moments Through the Years

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Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird Are Now the Only Basketball Players Ever to Win 5 Olympic Golds

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Just call them GOATs: Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird made history on Saturday night as the only basketball players ever to win five Olympic gold medals when the Americans secured their place on top of the podium by beating Japan 90-75.

The victory marked Team USA’s seventh straight gold medal and 55th consecutive Olympic win, as ESPN reported.

“It’s been a tremendous journey,” Taurasi said, according to ESPN. “It’s 20 years of sacrifice, of putting everything else aside and just wanting to win. It’s never easy playing on this team, the pressure, but this group found a way to win, and I am just happy that this group got to enjoy it.”

Taurasi, 39, and Bird, 40, made their Olympic debut together nearly two decades ago, at the 2004 Games in Athens. They’ve played in every Summer Olympics since and have won all 38 of the games at the Olympics they’ve competed in, the Associated Press reports.

Along the way, the two have etched their names into various history books. Bird, for example, is the most decorated FIBA World Cup athlete in history—male or female—owning four gold medals and one bronze, Team USA reports. She is also the only five-time FIBA World Cup medalist. Taurasi, for her part, holds the U.S. Olympic single-game records for three-pointers made (six) and attempted (10), both of which came in a 2016 game against Serbia, according to Team USA. And in June, she became the first WNBA player to reach 9,000 career points, further cementing her status as the all-time leading scorer in the league’s history.

Both Bird and Taurasi’s legacies extend beyond the court. Earlier this year, Bird launched the digital media company Togethxr along with fellow Olympians Alex Morgan, Simone Manuel, and Chloe Kim. The company aims for more inclusive storytelling in sport and greater coverage of the next generation of female athletes.

“The four of us—myself, Alex, Simone, and Chloe—we saw a need for this in the media world,” Bird previously told SELF. “I think we’re getting a lot of amazing stories out, and that was the purpose, to get the stories out that don’t always get the love they deserve.”

Last summer, Bird, Taurasi, and fellow WNBA players rallied behind Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, after Kelly Loeffler, an incumbent Republican senator and Atlanta Dream team co-owner, criticized the league’s support of the Black Lives Matter movement, TIME reported. Warnock, who was polling at only 9% at the time, ended up defeating Loeffler in a January runoff election to become Georgia’s first Black senator. The victory made a big impact: It helped flip the Senate, and the next month, Loeffler sold her stake in the Dream, the Washington Post reported.

“We were playing the season for a cause that was bigger than basketball: the Black Lives Matter movement, getting the vote out,” Taurasi told ESPN of the 2020 WNBA season. “We wanted to make sure people knew why we were playing. And it was more than just playing basketball.”

Following the Tokyo Games, Bird, who served as a flag bearer during the opening ceremonies, is retiring from international basketball; Taurasi left the door open that she’ll compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Associated Press reported. Regardless, the future of American women’s basketball looks bright. Six of the 12 athletes on the gold-medal winning team were Olympic newcomers. And, during Saturday’s game, 30-year-old Brittney Griner earned Team USA 30 points—the most ever in a gold-medal game for an American, besting Lisa Leslie’s record of 29, per ESPN.

The women’s basketball team wasn’t the only squad to make history this weekend: The U.S. women’s indoor volleyball team defeated Brazil 3-0 yesterday to earn their first-ever Olympic gold.

“It’s everything we wanted it to be,” player Haleigh Washington said in an emotional interview after the historic win. “The hard work that we put in, the sweat, the tears, the blood—it’s been worth it. And I am so proud to have done it with this group of women. I am so honored.”

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