Freeport, Bahamas - Bahamas' first ever Manhunt International Bahamas modeling competition came to a close on September 23rd, 2012 with Drew Palacious at the country's inaugural title winner.

Born in Freeport, Drew is a graduate of Sunland Baptist Academy and Missouri Valley College.

His desire to pursue a career as an international model has just become a reality as he will represent his country later this year in Thailand.

"You can never go wrong with international exposure," said the only candidate from Grand Bahama prior to the event, and now he will indeed experience that exposure...

Every woman wants to look and feel good. She wants to be the one that turns heads. She wants to be the one that guys stop and stare at, and the one that makes girls wonder where she got those shoes or that dress. For women, clothes can have the ability to alter one's mood and confidence level. A woman knows when she looks good because she gives you that extra pep in her step.

Most women love to shop, and for Karla Wells and her business partner Aliya Allen, they are no different. However, what sets this stylish duo apart is that they turned that love into a business when they decided to open PLAY Boutique. As Wells shared in this week's edition of 'Da Plunge', it was purely compliments and her love for shopping that led her to open the trendy downtown clothing boutique.

"My business partner and I decided to open up the store because we love to shop. And whenever we went out, we would always get complimented on the items that we wore. So we opened up a store that sold the things that we liked. We love to shop and it's something that we wanted to share with the world," she pointed out. Thousands of dollars in investments and fully stocked out with the latest items from jewelry, sandals, work and evening wear, the PLAY Boutique opened its doors in June 2011.

It currently has two employees. While business has been progressing over the past few months, Wells admits that it has not been without its share of challenges. "It has been hard for us to find people who are enthusiastic, pleasant and interested in working, so that has been a real challenge for us in opening the store," she explained. "The store being located downtown has also been a challenge for us.

We cater to everyone, but Bahamians and downtown don't really go together, so that's been a challenge to get Bahamians to come into the store. To date, most of our customers have in fact been tourists." She further shared that PLAY Boutique is at a point where they are looking to revamp and make adjustments to the store in an effort to ensure they meet their customers' needs and drive more business into the store.

So far, PLAY's most popular items have been its sandals and jewelry. "We are at the point now where we are looking to revamp and make adjustments, reassess what worked in the first year and what didn't and shift the focus of the store in that direction to make sure that we are meeting the expectations of our customers," Wells added.

"Most of our customers like the store because of the variety that we offer. However, our big hits have been our jewelry and our sandals. It's quickly becoming more of a casual store and less work and evening." Wells said she is not too worried about the store's future success, as she joked: "Everyone needs clothes whether it's a good or bad economy."

Nassau, Bahamas - For 12 aspiring fashion designers and visual artist the wait is over and the designing begins! Organizers of the Fash|Art event have released the names of the 2012 semifinalist to compete during the November 2nd + 3rd event extravaganza.

Representing varied age ranges, talent backgrounds and Islands, the new and emerging talents will debut their collections, in hopes of launching their careers during a two-night multimedia event, featuring high-end runway shows, an art & fashion exhibition, a media-filled "red carpet", live entertainment, a pop-up shopping event, and chic after-parties...

Nassau, Bahamas - The year's final segment of Cia Monet's Beauties @ Brunch will take place in Nassau on October 14th at the Wyndham Hotel. The event to celebrate of 50 years of women's suffrage will honour the three female captains (Gail Saunders, Frances Smith, and Gwendolyn Ritchie) of Bahamasair.

The hallmark of the organization is its celebration of fashion, beauty, sophistication, nation building, professionalism and poise showcased at premium venues with food and wine...