TEYANA TAYLOR IS A BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG BRANDING AND FASHION AMBASSADOR POWERHOUSE (REEBOK & OPI)

TEYANA TAYLOR IS A BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG BRANDING AND FASHION AMBASSADOR POWERHOUSE (REEBOK & OPI):

TEYANA HAILS FROM HARLEM, NY.

SHE IS BOLD, OUT OF THE BOX, AMBITIOUS, CREATIVE & INTELLIGENT.

HARLEM, NY SHOULD BE PROUD OF TEYANA’S SUCCESS.

I HOPE SHE REMAINS ON TOP FOR YEARS TO COME.

SHE NEEDS TO GO ON TOUR TO SHOWCASE HER STYLE AND TALENTS.


Post Sources: Essence, WWD, VH-1, Breakfast Club, Fashion Network, Business Standard, Youtube


***** Teyana Taylor is Reebok's new Brand ambassador


Reebok announced the newest member of its family with the appointment of R&B artist, dancer, actress and famed sneaker head Teyana Taylor, as its official brand ambassador.

Taylor will join Reebok's like-minded collective of innovative and inspirational creators, including the likes of Future, Gigi Hadid and Top Dawg Entertainment Recording Artist Kendrick Lamar.

Taylor will spearhead the re-release of the Reebok Classic Freestyle Hi, the first fitness sneaker that was specifically designed for women.

First introduced in 1982, the Freestyle Hi was a groundbreaking silhouette that embodied then exactly what Taylor represents today: fearlessness and bold expression.

Taylor is known for her provocative moves, her unapologetic style and her freedom of language in music, fashion and dance - all characteristics that also describe the Reebok Classic and the Freestyle Hi in particular.

Taylor officially launched the partnership today via her social channels through new campaign images and video that she shared with fans worldwide.

With her trademark ferocity and her personal message to everyone to "Free Your Style," Taylor is pictured wearing the Freestyle Hi, which will include three OG colorways - the Triple Red, Triple White, and Triple Black - launching this month.

"Teyana Taylor is the perfect collaborator to join the Reebok family," said Todd Krinsky, Global Vice President of Reebok Classic and Entertainment.

"She is a risk-taker who brings her own perspective to every project and she stands uniquely at the intersection of fashion, music and fitness, which are the core tenets of Reebok Classic.

This partnership continues to solidify Reebok's commitment to women who express themselves through confidence in style," he added.

Commenting on the partnership, Taylor said, "Reebok has always been a brand that's been very special to my heart ever since I was young.

Freestyles were all I wanted to wear growing up so it feels like everything's come full circle with this partnership.

The 5411's really opened the door for creativity in womens fashion, it gave permission for sneakers to be feminine.

I'm honored to be the face of the Freestyle campaign for everything it stood for yesterday and what it still represents today."

Taylor and Reebok have notably worked together in the past, collaborating on her own brazen red colorway of the Question Mid as part of the 20th Anniversary of the iconic Allen Iverson sneaker in 2016, called the "Question Mid Teyana T.

LISA NICOLE’S 2018 ELEVATION COLLECTION (“MARRIED TO MEDICINE”)

LISA NICOLE’S 2018 ELEVATION COLLECTION (“MARRIED TO MEDICINE”)


Sources: Lisa Nicole Cloud, YouTube


Last weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to Lisa Nicole Cloud’s ELEVATION Designer Collection Fashion extravaganza.

Lisa Nicole is married to Dr Darren Nagules (also in attendance) and is a former cast member of the Bravo network reality show “Married to Medicine”.

Lisa and Darren reside in Atlanta, Ga and are the proud parents of two lovely, intelligent Children.

Lisa Nicole’s Fashion extravaganza was hosted in my native hometown of New York City and the main sponsor was Rolls Royce.

It was a lavish event, attended by many members of the Fashion industry and Mainstream Media Press.

I sincerely thank Lisa Nicole and her gracious Staff for allowing me to witness such a beautiful collection of Designer couture.

CHRISSY LAMPKIN Arrested But She's Still A Money Maker!.....LADY VAMP

#ChrissyLampkin

CHRISSY LAMPKIN, fiancee' of Rapper & Businessman JIM JONES, was ARRESTED last Sunday for Fighting in New Jersey.

Of course JIM Bailed her out.

So what else is new?? Everyone knows NOT to mess with CHRISSY!

The value of her "LADY VAMP" Clothing line just increased!

"Chrissy Lampkin, 'Love & Hip Hop' Star, Arrested After New Jersey Bar Brawl"


Police say the reality star who's engaged to rapper Jim Jones sent her sparring partner to the hospital after a dust-up over a sofa on Sunday morning.

Reality set in for a “Love and Hip Hop” star after an arrest for a bloody brawl in a New Jersey bar early Sunday morning.

Chrissy Lampkin was charged with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct at 2:30 a.m., said Edgewater, N.J., police.

The 42-year-old stylist’s sparring partner was hospitalized with injuries and received stitches above the eye, TMZ reported.

The altercation was reportedly sparked when Lampkin took objection to another woman sitting on the same sofa in the bar — and then accidentally bumping into someone, according to the gossip site.

Lampkin was released hours after her arrest when her fiance, rapper Jim Jones, bailed her out.

The Harlem-born Lampkin also starred with her long-time boyfriend in the VH1 reality series, “Chrissy & Mr. Jones,” on which she also served as a producer.

Sources: NY Daily News, TMZ, VH-1, Youtube

Michelle Obama Looks Lovely In Blue At 2012 SOTU

Which guests are sitting with Michelle Obama for State of the Union?


The 2012 State of the Union guest list has become an annual rite. The guests often have ties to a proposal or initiative the president will outline in the address.

Among guests seated with first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during the speech on Tuesday, according to a White House statement:

Debbie Bosanek, secretary to billionaire Warren Buffett, who says it is unfair that his secretary pays a higher tax rate than he does. Obama is expected to renew his call for his "Buffet Rule" — a principle that millionaires should not pay a lower tax rate than typical workers.

Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple’s Steve Jobs, and founder and chair of Emerson Collective, which describes itself as working with entrepreneurs on social reform efforts.

During the speech, Obama mentioned Steve Jobs during a portion that centered on innovation as a key to the economic future of the country. He said the country needs to support everyone who is willing to work.

And he said that includes, "every risk taker or entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs." Steve Jobs died from pancreatic cancer last October.

Mark Kelly, husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and a retired NASA astronaut. Giffords, who will be present at the speech, announced this weekend that she would step down from her seat representing Arizona's 8th District. This will be one of her final acts as a congresswoman.

U.S. Army Sgt. Ashleigh Berg of Malibu, who has served two tours of duty in Iraq and is stationed in Fort Shafter, Hawaii. her husband Sgt. Matthew Berg is deployed in Afghanistan.

Juan Jose Redin, a North Hollywood, Calif., attorney, with a passion for educational access. Redin moved to the United States from Mexico at the age of 10. Thanks to California's Assembly Bill 540, he was able to earn undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA.

Dr. Hiroyuki Fujita, president and CEO of Quality Electrodynamics in Cleveland. Fujita came to America from Japan in 1988 and received a doctorate in physics from Case Western Reserve University.

In 2006, he started his own Cleveland-based company, QED, that develops and manufactures state-of-the-art MRI radiofrequency antennas.
Bryan Ritterby of Michigan, who was laid off from the furniture industry in 2009 and enrolled in school to become a lab technician.

Adm. William McRaven, head of the military's Special Operations Command. He was the Navy SEAL who commanded the risky, top-secret raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden last year.

Alicia Boler-Davis of Detroit, plant manager at General Motors Orion Assembly. Last October, Boler-Davis led Obama and President Lee of South Korea on a tour of the General Motors Orion Assembly and Pontiac Stamping, a visit to highlight free trade agreements and the resurgence of the American auto industry.

Jackie Bray of King's Mountain, N.C., process operator at Siemens Charlotte Energy Hub. The single mother was laid off from her job last January and was hired by Siemens after she enrolled in a Central Piedmont Community College course of the type Obama hopes to strengthen to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placements.

Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio, Texas. The 37-year-old Harvard Law School graduate announced that CPS Energy, a municipally-owned utility, has entered negotiations to bring at least 800 jobs and $100 million in capital investment to San Antonio. This is expected to be one of the nation’s largest solar projects resulting in 400 megawatts of zero-emissions solar energy.

Bruce Cochrane of Lincolnton, N.C., president and CEO of Lincolnton Furniture, which is producing furniture again in his home state.
Sara Ferguson of Parkside, Pa.; literacy and math teacher at Columbus Elementary School. She vowed to continue teaching even unpaid when the Chester Upland School District faced bankruptcy earlier this year.

Mahala Greer of Denver; a Spanish major student at University of Colorado Denver. Her husband, Navy Cmdr. Colby Howard is currently on a seven-month deployment.
Adrienne Howard of San Diego, a military spouse.

For nearly 20 years, she has been heavily involved as a volunteer in family readiness groups and Navy spouse organizations. She said she was inspired by Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces initiative to reach out to her community.

Mike Krieger of San Francisco; co-founder of Instagram. Krieger, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, worked for a year on his student F-1 visa and later applied for and received an H-1B visa as a high-skill worker. Krieger wants to permanently stay in the U.S. and has applied for a green card.

Lorelei Kilker of Brighton, Colo.; an analytical chemist. Kilker, who lives with her domestic partner and their two children, was one of a class of women who benefitted from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) investigation of alleged systematic sex discrimination at her former employee.

Joan Milligan of Orlando, Fla., who refinanced a home through Obama's Home Affordable Refinance Program. She and her husband, Bill, will celebrate 50 years of marriage in October.

Amber Morris of Virginia Beach, Va., who responded to a White House Twitter question, "What does 40 mean to you?" during last year's payroll tax debate. The 2008 Northeastern Law School lives at home and works as a waitress.

Adam Rapp of Fall Creek Township, Ill. The cancer patient would have lost his health insurance if not for the Affordable Care Act, his mother told the White House.

Col. Ginger Wallace of McLean, Va., an Air Force intelligence officer. Her partner of over a decade, Kathy Knopf, in December attended Wallace’s promotion ceremony and participated in the "pinning on" of Col. Wallace’s rank, marking the first such event reported following the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Richard Cordray, the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who made his first trip Tuesday to Capitol Hill since his controversial recess appointment.

Eric Schneiderman, New York attorney general who will chair a special unit Obama will announce to investigate misconduct and illegalities that contributed to both the financial collapse and the mortgage crisis. The office will the new Unit on Mortgage Origination and Securitization Abuses.

Sources: Huffington Post, MSNBC

Rachel Zoe's New Line Is "Bananas!! From Stylist To Designer!

Rachel Zoe: The Stylist As Celebrity Designer

In a dressing room at the Saks Club on the third floor of the Fifth Avenue flagship, Rachel Zoe is advising a petite, strawberry-blonde 17-year-old shopping with her mother on how to wear a white sequin blazer. “I like to wear it a little bigger, so you can wear a zero or a two or a four,” she tells her. “If this part is too low,” she says, explaining the seam should not hit below the shoulder for the coolest slouchy effect, “you can’t cheat it.”

As a stylist, movie stars pay Zoe a rumored $10,000 a day for such dressing advice, but today, she’s not just styling, she’s also up-selling her brand-new clothing line, Rachel Zoe Collection, which hit more than 100 retail sales floors in the U.S. and Canada four weeks ago.

The seventies- and boho-inspired wares, which include suiting, long dresses, blouses, sequin minidresses, and faux-fur vests, look exactly like something Zoe would wear. “It’s insta-chic,” she tells her next client, a 30-ish hedge fund manager, helping her into a camel cape. “I don’t mean to sound like a walking advertisement, but it is.” That $695 wool cape has already sold out at Nordstrom, which will reorder it before the weather actually feels like fall, at which time they’ll probably sell out of it again.

Zoe has been a boldfaced tabloid name since 2004, when she made over Nicole Richie in her boho-chic image. But she became a star in her own right after her Bravo reality show The Rachel Zoe Project debuted in 2008, with the last season finale attracting 1.1. million viewers (the show’s fourth season premieres tonight).

So when her collection debuted at New York Fashion Week last February, it did so as yet another clothing line by a celebrity. But Zoe’s line, unlike a lot of celebrity lines, is neither cheap nor fleeting nor forgettably drab.

The difference may be the fashion credibility she earned after working for many years behind the scenes, not only dressing folks like Britney Spears and Jennifer Garner, but styling fashion shoots for magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and ad campaigns for brands like True Religion.

No one knew that red-carpet stylists existed until Barbara Tfank famously dressed Uma Thurman in Prada for the 1995 Oscars (it was one of the first times a star appeared in something you could actually buy off the rack, as opposed to a specially made gown). Since then, none have become as famous as Zoe, thanks to the public's increasing fascination with the machinations of the fashion industry (thanks in part to reality shows like hers!) and the rapid proliferation of fashion websites in need of their own celebrities.

Now stylists like Zoe, Nicola Formichetti (who became creative director of Mugler after styling Lady Gaga), and Taylor Tomasi-Hill (who consults for Sigerson Morrison) are almost as famous as the stars they dress, and creating a personality is part of the job — something agents look for when signing new talent.

For a first-time line, the Rachel Zoe Collection’s launch was unusually large. Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Intermix all picked it up, and they claim they’re already having trouble keeping the pieces, which range from $250 to $700, in stock. “It’s been a long time since we’ve taken that kind of risk with a first-time designer at Bloomingdale’s,” says Stephanie Solomon, the women’s fashion director at the chain, which normally launches new lines in only “a handful of stores” (the Zoe line is in eight).

Nordstrom’s vice-president of designer apparel, Jennifer Wheeler, agrees that something felt different about this line: “It’s great when you have a name, but if you don’t have the goods — if the collection wasn’t good — it wouldn’t work,” she says. Nordstrom executives say the sell-through rate has quadrupled expectations. Colleen Sherin, senior fashion director of Saks, also describes the volume Saks bought of the collection as “unusual.” “It’s not just a one-season kind of thing,” Sherin says. “She’s in this as a serious business.”

Zoe, whose favorite words and phrases are maj (short for major),bananas, and “I die,” may not sound like your typical businesswoman. But she emphatically prefers to call herself that, rather than a “celebrity.”

And the strategic moves she made in conceiving this line indicate that she is indeed a businesswoman — and a very good one. First, she partnered with Li & Fung, the highly successful manufacturer that did $16 billion in sales last year and counts House of Deréon, Jennifer Lopez’s Kohl’s line, and Sean John men’s sportswear among its brands. Catherine Moellering, executive vice-president of Tobe, a retail trend consulting company, suspects Li & Fung gave retailers confidence, practically speaking.

She explains, “With Li & Fung, [retailers] feel very comfortable stepping out with it from a production standpoint. It’s going to be flawless, and there are not always great examples of celebrity start-ups that can execute. Li & Fung just knows how to do it — they understand the profitability dance.”

Second, Zoe positioned the line in an underserved part of the market. The price point of the Rachel Zoe Collection puts it “right on the cusp of bridge” — a category that includes Tory Burch and Elie Tahari — “which is consistently the most problematic in the department store puzzle,” Moellering says.

Moellering wonders if Li & Fung, which boasts strong relationships with many retailers, tapped its network to find out where the greatest market share would be for Zoe: “In relation to the market, and where there is a void, that seems very smart to me.”

Zoe says she made a conscious decision about pricing “because I think that there are enough brilliant designers doing the designer clothes at this point.” She adds, “I was really maniacal about keeping prices down. And I remember there were certain pieces that I loved the sample, and I would sit with my design team and it was like this is this amount of money, and I was like, I'm not going above that price point. It's too expensive.”

She made a bold debut with tailoring, which is never easy to do and especially not for a first collection, including pantsuits in plaid, black, and tan. Sequined frocks and tiered cocktail dresses in cream and leopard also figure prominently. The outerwear included faux-fur vests and coats with faux-fur paneling — easy shortcuts for those who want to copy the stylist’s trademark look. The line is more L.A. glam than New York cool — stylish but not so stylish that it’s scary to casual observers of fashion.

Moellering easily sees Zoe’s brand becoming the “full-on lifestyle” kind, growing until it encompasses everything from clothes to jewelry to swimwear to fragrance. “Li & Fung, they’re not doing this to be a $20 million dollar business, they are doing this because they want it to be a multi-billion-dollar business.”

Zoe will tell you she works hard for all this. “I've worked with a lot of designers. I really understand the design process,” she says. “It is so much fun, but it is a lot of work.

I picked this sequin out of ten thousand sequins, I picked this wool out of a hundred wools, I picked this faux fur out of four hundred samples of faux fur.” Such claims are not uncommon from celebrities with clothing lines, who often tell the press they know how to make great clothes when they’ve actually had little to do with the line that bears their name. But Zoe’s background as a stylist brings her extra credibility. “She’s a celebrity because she’s an incredible stylist,” notes Nordstrom’s Wheeler.

“The two are very interrelated. She always had her finger on the pulse of where fashion is going, and she indeed helped push it in that direction. And she knows what makes women look good.” Though Zoe says she didn’t know her aesthetic would be huge on the runways when she launched the line, that’s exactly what happened. “Who really does boho and seventies better than Rachel?” Moellering says. “And those have to be two of the biggest trends right now.”

Zoe admits it’s not easy to go from stylist to designer in the rarified world of high fashion. “I have sat with these buyers and fashion directors of these retail stores for many, many years,” she says. “And the editor-in-chiefs and things — the thought of being judged by them is petrifying. Petrifying.”

The added workload of the line is no small obstacle, either. New labels typically have much more time to plan their first collection than their second, third, fourth, and so on, and those subsequent collections really tell retailers how much endurance a line will have. Zoe says she is primed to handle the fabled pace of fashion.

“Now I’m styling spring for the presentation in a couple of weeks, but the next day we started doing the fabrics and sketches for fall, so it’s kind of keeping your head in one place and being clear about what season you’re in. But I’ve always had to deal with that as a stylist and fashion editor as well — the models are wearing fur in June and bikinis in December.” She says you can expect the boot-cut pant in some iteration every season — along with sequins and faux fur, naturally. Also in the works: fragrance, jewelry, and beauty products.

Back to the Saks Fifth Avenue Club, when Zoe wraps up her visits with private clients, Saks CEO Steven I. Sadove pulls Zoe aside. “Did you see your windows? It’s our feature window,” he tells her. She hasn’t, but she will take a look after she greets a packed roomful of adoring fans at a cocktail reception a few floors up.

“I'm always going to style. It's the core of what I do. It's who I am. I love my clients,” Zoe says. Many of them will happily support her by wearing the line. But, Zoe adds, “If they wear it, great. If they don't, that's okay too. Definitely not forcing it in their faces.” And yet Jennifer Lopez, who is not a client of Zoe’s, has already worn pieces from the collection for two public appearances.

InStyle endorsed it with a party in L.A. in June, where celebrities like Amber Valetta and Ali Larter happily wore the pieces. Marketing opportunities like that don’t just happen to anyone with a clothing line — and that is why a name like Zoe’s is so valuable.


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Sources: Bravo, CNN, NY Magazine, US Magazine, Google Maps

Missoni Fashion Craze Crashes Target Stores Website Servers

Missoni for Target line creates Black Friday-like demand

The much-anticipated launch of a new collaborative line between Italian designer Missoni and Target caused the retailer's website to crash several times Tuesday.

"Target.com is seeing greater item demand than we do on a typical Black Friday, and the excitement for this limited-time designer collection is unprecedented," the store said in a statement. "We are slowly bringing the site back online to ensure we can provide a positive shopping experience to our guests."

By Wednesday, the site was back up and running, but many of the colorful, zigzag designs were out of stock.

Between 7:47 and 8 a.m. ET Tuesday, the Target.com homepage was completely down with a connection timeout error, according to AlertSite, a Web performance monitoring business. For most of Tuesday afternoon and evening, the homepage displayed a courtesy page of the Target dog letting visitors know the site was overloaded.

"We are suddenly extremely popular," the page said.

The fervor wasn't only online. At stores nationwide, customers eager to grab up the colorful zigzag designs began lining up hours before opening. Stores reported selling out of stock within hours as shoppers grabbed up clothing and housewares at deeply discounted prices.

A full-priced knit scarf by the iconic Italian designer runs from $175 to $200 at department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. The Missoni for Target collection includes knit dresses and sweaters between $40 and $60. On the pricier side, a women's bike costs $399.99 and a 28-inch piece of roller luggage, $199.99

The reaction comes amid considerable buzz leading up to the public debut of the collaboration. A private launch event September 7 in New York's Times Square was described in media reports as a "madhouse" with celebs such as Emma Roberts, Camilla Belle and Rachel Zoe in attendance.

Actress Jessica Alba tweeted that she "dreamt about the Missoni 4 Target bike last night" and that she hoped her husband was "going to get it 4 me?!?" Singer Jessica Simpson retweeted Alba, saying that she wanted the bike, too: "So cute!"

Target has collaborated with other designers before, from Isaac Mizrahi to Jean Paul Gaultier, but none to this effect. The collection was scheduled to be available from Tuesday through October 22 at Target stores and Target.com. It was unclear how Tuesday's activity would affect future sales.


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Sources: AP, CNN, Missoni, Target, TIME, Google Maps

Leah McSweeney's "Married To The Mob", Small Business Success Raw Style

Leah McSweeney (born in 1982 in New York City) is the founder and CEO of the female "Married to the MOB" clothing line. Her early years were spent in New York City until she was thrown out in eighth grade from an all girls Catholic school, Convent of the Sacred Heart, whose alumni includes Paris and Nicky Hilton, and Lady Gaga. Afterwards, Leah’s family moved to Newtown, Connecticut where she ran away every weekend to get back to her NYC roots. Once Leah finished high school, she moved back to the Big Apple and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology for a short time before calling it quits.

In 2004, tired of seeing guys having the coolest gear and brands, Leah had the successful idea of creating her own female clothing line "Married to the MOB". Leah used her settlement of $75,000 (from a law suit stemming from a police officer attack) to jumpstart her idea. She bought an Apple computer and painted her Spring Street apartment walls Pink.

Leah’s apartment became the "Married to the MOB" headquarters; everyone from Leah's model sister and MOB poster-girl Sarah McSweeney to her teenage friend Tabatha McGurr (daughter of graffiti artist Futura 2000) became part of the crew. The clothing line grew from there, and Leah switched her headquarters to the Empire State Building.

McSweeney has been included in a multitude of publications, such as Elle Girl, Inked (magazine), Complex (magazine), Elle (magazine), Vogue (magazine), Hypebeast, Essence (magazine), Paper (magazine), URB (magazine), Teen Vogue and Nylon (magazine).

The bold statements on its graphic tee-shirts ('tees'), such as "Supreme Bitch" and "New York needs Peter Gatien”, have become the brand's trademark. The tagline “Men are the new women” from a MOB campaign was used in conjunction with the TV show "Big Shots". 'Supreme' store owner James Jebbia also worked with MOB and carried the brand’s tees in his stores.

MOB's hands bikini with graffiti artist Kaws was a stepping-stone for Leah's company. With the suit's handprints boldly placed on every guy’s favorite spots on a girl’s body, this product is one of the most-recognisable MOB collaborations. Various collaborations followed in 2007, notably with the German accessory house MCM and a MOB and Kangol cashmere 'beanie' cap.

Leah's love for France enabled her to meet graffiti artist Fafi, who helped design and model for the '07 Spring/Summer campaign. French avant-garde boutique Colette collaborated with MOB on Reebok lip print sneakers, that sold out online in 23 minutes. MOB teamed up with Nike in November 2008 on a white tweed and black patent 'dunk' shoe. The MOB girls introduced a denim line, as well as cut and sew, for Winter 2008. February 2009 brought 'KRINK Inks' and MOB together, and they co-branded a Valentine's Day pack.

In Spring 2009, the first wave of the collection was a collaboration with the Chicago rapper Kid Sister. MOB's second wave saw the brand working with artist Jessy Kennedy, aka The Nite Rider, who added her naughty illustrations to a classically controversial MOB shirt. With the 50th Anniversary of Barbie in March 2009, the Colette boutique continued its relationship with MOB with a commemorative tee.

Married to the MOB clothing has been seen on many musicians and celebrities. The line has been worn by rapper Uffie, multi-talented artist Fergie, singer Lady Gaga, model Doutzen Kroes, musician Kid Sister, and rapper Lady Sovereign.


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Sources: Married To The Mob, Karma Loop, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Agnes & Lola: Online Authentic African Fashion Boutique

Online Fashion Boutique Brings African Design To The World


Watch the show on Fridays 1945, Saturdays 0145, 0615, Sundays 0715 (all times GMT).


With a wide selection of eye-catching prints and colorful garments, online boutique Agnes & Lola has set its sights on becoming the website of choice for African fashion.

Launched by Lola Remi in August, the UK-based fashion store aims to make African clothes more accessible to the rest of the world, as well as promoting ethical fashion.

Like many major fashion brands, the clothing store traces its origins to one of world's most iconic fashion capitals -- Paris.

"In Paris I noticed many African young people wore African print and they didn't just wear it in a traditional sense," Remi told CNN.

"They wore it with jeans and they wore it just as dresses, I was really impressed by this and kept thinking about it.

"And then once I came over here [London], a friend of mine, Xaverie [Bakheme], who is also one of the designers, actually went to Cameroon and had one of the dresses as well. And that's when I was captivated by the print and that's how I really got into African fashion," she added.

Agnes & Lola (named after Remi and her grandmother, Agnes) carries the work of young designers from all around Africa, all of whom have one thing in common -- their strong ties to the continent.

For Nigerian designer Nkwo Onwuka, inspiration for her clothes comes not just from her country but from the entire continent. "There are so many different cultures and colors and so many inspiring things," she told CNN.

"When you walk through the markets, there are beads, there are all sorts of fabrics, so I find my inspiration from the whole of Africa."

Another designer is Christine Mhando, who was born in Tanzania but raised in Britain. In 2007, she launched the Chichia London brand, known for its use of the "khanga," a traditional cotton printed garment worn by women in East Africa as a wrap.

"I use the fabrics from over there [Tanzania] and basically create it in a more modern style, a more European style, which is kind of basically what I would wear myself, because I am African but I am also British," Mhando told CNN.

For Remi, an important part of her business is giving back to the continent that inspired her. She says Agnes & Lola is aiming to give a percentage of its profits to charity.

"The first one that we've chosen is Medicins Sans Frontier, which is also Doctors without Borders. And we've chosen a particular aspect of it which is Condition Critical and that's where they focus very much on the conflict in the Congo region."

Remi says her mission is to promote not only talented, but also ethical designers who are committed to embroidering their fashion with social consciousness.

Some of the designers featured by Agnes & Lola use recycled materials, others use local artisans to help design their garments.

Remi said: "They [the designers] are the future of African fashion, and I very much hope that Agnes & Lola is also the future of African fashion, bringing it out to that audience and making it more marketable and out there.

"And also representing ourselves in a very positive and ethical fashion, building the continent as well. It's not just about building ourselves but about promoting Africa in a positive way."


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Sources: Agnes & Lola, CNN, Harlem Loves, Google Maps

Michelle Obama's Bollywood Dance Moves (Videos) - 2010 Asia Trip

Michelle Obama & Kids Dance To Bollywood Hits

Right after her elegant arrival, Michelle Obama made a quick outfit change into a J.Crew lace tee, a floral skirt and her Erickson Beamon brooch for her trip to the Mumbai University on Saturday. She kicked off her flats and danced and played tambourine with 33 disadvantaged children who participate in a Make a Difference program.

Check out a video of the group dancing together (one of the songs they danced to was the theme song from the Bollywood movie, "Rang de Basanti".


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Sources: CNN, Huffington Post, Google Maps

Michelle Obama’s Possible 2010 Asia Trip First Lady Attire

What Will Michelle Obama Wear In India?

From India Real Time.

When the U.S. presidential couple arrives in India, most people are likely to be closely watching President Barack Obama, hoping for a taste of his soaring rhetoric. But at least some will be keeping their eyes on first lady Michelle Obama — and her frocks.

In the past few years, Mrs. Obama’s style has attracted a considerable following. So much so that a recent study measured how the first lady’s fashion choices drive clothing sales and even stock prices.

But there is more in Mrs. Obama’s style than her penchant for pretty clothes: the first lady appears to have mastered the aesthetics of wardrobe diplomacy. We spoke to blogger Mary Tomer who’s been keeping a very close tally on what – and who – Michelle Obama has been wearing since she set foot in the White House. Edited excerpts.

WSJ: What will you be looking out for?
Ms. Tomer: I’ll be wondering whether she will be referencing Indian culture — from the gowns straight to the accessories—like she did when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and First Lady Gursharan Kaur visited the U.S. in November 2009.

WSJ: What did she wear in that occasion?
Ms. Tomer: Michelle Obama wore a tangerine brocade dress and coat by an American designer, Isaac Mizrahi, while India’s First Lady wore a green sari. You just couldn’t help wonder whether it was done on purpose to match the colors of the Indian flag.

At the state dinner that followed, Michelle Obama wore a very glamorous gown, heavily embellished with sequin, by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The gown was actually constructed in his family workshop in India. The first lady also wore a mile-long stack of bangles.



WSJ: What message will she try to convey in India?
Ms. Tomer: A particular notion of American style and sophistication while honoring the culture and fashion of the country she’s visiting. It’s not just aesthetics — it’s also a sense of diplomacy.
The visit comes at a time of widespread distrust of institutions and economic frustration at home — so she’s generally avoiding anything too opulent. But given the tradition of embellishments in Indian fashion this may be an occasion for her to have her glam moment without seeming insensitive.

WSJ: Whom is she likely to wear?
Ms. Tomer: It’s likely to be a celebration of Indian-American designers.
Naeem Khan said the first lady had several other gowns by him and was excited to see when she was going to wear them. This may be the chance to do it, although it kind of depends on her schedule.

She recently wore a necklace by jewellery designer Ranjana Khan, Naeem’s wife. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wore more of her pieces on this occasion. Michelle Obama is known for her statement necklaces.

She’s also likely to wear Rachel Roy, an Indian-American designer who is a regular in her style repertoire.

WSJ: What about on other trips abroad?
Ms. Tomer: She’s always used her style as a powerful means of communication, especially when she travels overseas.

When Michelle Obama met the Pope in Rome, for instance, she wore head-to-toe Moschino to pay homage to Italy’s rich fashion history. She wore all black and a veil over her head, in sign of respect. It showed that she was willing to change an element of her style for the occasion — it makes you think the sari is in the realm of possibility.



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Sources: CNN, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Youtube, Google Maps

Gisele Bündchen Is World's Highest Paid Model, $25M Annually (Catwalk Video)

Gisele Is Again World's Highest Paid Model


Despite its reputation for pushing boundaries, the fashion world is playing it safe lately — at least when it comes to its models.

Blame the recession and media-advertising slump. After a punishing year of penny-pinching consumers and struggling stores, fashion houses and retailers have been loathe to risk spending big bucks hiring untested beauties to showcase their clothes.

Even Victoria's Secret, which built its brand by introducing the world to an endless string of gorgeous women in its catalogs and runway shows, has not contracted a new "Angel" to join its lineup in two years. The last model to join its curvy ranks: Holland’s Doutzen Kroes.

"Companies want to know that if they're putting money behind a talent that she is recession-proof," says Ivan Bart, senior vice president and managing director of ING Models, which represents model superstars such as Gisele Bündchen and Heidi Klum.

"We find that the experienced models continue to earn well."

A slump in magazine advertising has cut the opportunities for models looking to break into the A-list, too. According to the Magazine Publishers of America, magazine ad pages for apparel and accessories plunged nearly 12 percent between April 2009 and 2010 — after falling more than 20 percent over the same time a year earlier.

When companies do buy ads, they reserve the space for their proven talent. "With the exception of the top 20 girls, there’s less work and less money," says Edward Razek, chief marketing officer for Limited Brands — Victoria's Secret's parent company.

Despite the tough times, the world’s top models still raked in some serious cash during the last year. Both Gisele Bündchen and Heidi Klum retained their top spots in our annual list of the World's Top Earning Models. The models on our list were ranked according to estimated earnings from June 2009 to June 2010.

No. 1 on our list yet again is Bündchen, the 29-year-old Brazilian beauty married to NFL quarterback Tom Brady. She gave birth to the couple's first child in December, lost the baby weight seemingly that very instant and went back to work.

Hard to blame her. As the world’s most sought-out face and body, Bündchen made an estimated $25 million in the past year. Aside from starring in campaigns for True Religion jeans, Dolce & Gabbana, Bündchen has her own skin care line and her own lucrative sandals brand — Ipanema by Gisele.

German sensation Heidi Klum is second with $16 million. She parlayed her modeling career into a star slot on the lucrative television series Project Runway, now in its seventh season. Runway has even inspired a videogame (on Nintendo's Wii) featuring Klum’s voice. But modeling remains Klum's bread and butter. She continues to grace Victoria's Secret runways and starred in campaigns ranging from McDonald's in Germany to Volkswagen.

Kate Moss ranks third, with $9 million. Despite her well-publicized personal and professional ups and downs, Moss, 36, kept busy in the last 12 months. Aside from designing a fashion line for the British retailer Topshop, Moss released a new perfume, announced she's designing handbags for Longchamp and made headlines — starting a trend — by dying her hair with gray streaks.

Moss remains the face of Versace, Longchamp and David Yurman, among others. In November she got flack from eating disorder support groups for telling Women's Wear Daily, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

Also on the list:

Kroes, Brazilian beauty (and new mom) Adriana Lima, rags to riches Russian model Natalia Vodianova, as well as Alessandra Ambrosio, Daria Werbowy and Miranda Kerr. The only American on the list? Carolyn Murphy, 36. Work with Estée Lauder, Roberto Cavalli and Anne Klein helped her earn $3.5 million, landing her in the 10th slot.

When the economy recovers, the fashion industry will have a fresh supply of new talent waiting for career-changing contracts, including Coco Rocha, Julia Stegner and Constance Jablonski.

Former Calvin Klein Jeans model Lara Stone will likely vault onto our list of top earners in the next year. Whispers among fashion insiders suggest the Dutch beauty has landed seven-figure contracts with some of the industry's most prestigious brands.

Still, it’s unlikely that fashion’s next "It Girl" will ever earn as much as Bündchen did during the frothy days of 2008. Says Razek: "Things might snap back, but there’s definitely been some elastic taken out of the rubber band."


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Sources: Forbes.com, MSNBC, Victoria Secret, Youtube, Google Maps

Krista White Is "America's Next Top Model" Cycle 14 (Video)

"ANTop Model" Krista White Comes Out On Top With $100,000 Contract


There is a new queen of the runway. The latest high fashion royalty is Krista, who won CW's "America's Next Top Model."

The 25 year-old from Pine Bluff, Arkansas joyously reacted to Tyra Banks' announcement by saying, "I'm glad that it's somebody like me that other people can look up to and see that she made it, she didn't give up..."

The final four competed in a mile high challenge, while en route to Queenstown, New Zealand. Once back on steady ground, Angelea and Alexandra were eliminated after they didn't get "ugly pretty" enough in a photo shoot.

Top two Raina and Krista were easy, breezy, beautiful Covergirls for a commercial to promote the cosmetics line. Then, they were seventeen again as real cover girls for a Seventeen magazine shoot. Plus, Tyra surprised the girls with family portraits, complete with special visitors--their parents--who got to strike a pose alongside their stunning daughters.

For the grand finale, Raina and Krista rocked the runway for an Anna Sui fashion show. Previously eliminated contestants also got a chance to strut their stuff one last time on the catwalk, alongside cycle 13 winner Nicole.

Who was the ringleader of the three ring circus inspired show? Krista came out on top, taking the title. Meanwhile, Raina didn't twinkle like the star she hoped to be.

The winner of Cycle 14 will be managed by Wilhelmina Models, receive a $100,000 contract with cosmetics giant CoverGirl, and appear on the cover and in a six-page fashion spread of Seventeen magazine.


Sources: America's Next Top Model, AOL, Black Voices, Cover Girl, CWtv, E!Online

Erica DeRamus' Revealing Prom Dress vs. Corporal Punishment (Paddling)

Alabama Student Must Choose Paddling Or Suspension For Violating Prom Dress Code


An Alabama High School Senior was suspended for wearing a prom dress that school officials said was too short at the hem and too revealing on top.

"I was so excited because it was my senior prom and I'd never been to a senior prom, so I was excited," Oxford High School student Erica DeRamus said.

DeRamus said she knew her school had dress code policies, but didn't think her dress would violate them. But when she got to prom Saturday, officials told her it was too short and too revealing.

"What cleavage? That's exactly what I said. I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, but that's what I feel," DeRamus said.

"If I felt it was too much cleavage in this dress, I wouldn't have purchased this dress," said her mother, Darrie DeRamus. "It would have stayed in that store and I wouldn't have even gotten it off the Internet and paid for it."

But principal Trey Holloday said it violated school policy stating that dresses cannot have cleavage falling below the breastbone or hems more than 6 inches above the knee.

"And so that expectation in our community is that it's there for protection of kids and not for management of kids," he said.

Erica's mother said she was never notified of the prom dress code.

But Holloday said all parents and students were told about it not once, but three times.

Of the 352 students who attended prom, 18 violated the policy, he said. Seventeen of them chose to be paddled, while DeRamus chose a three-day suspension, Holloday said.

"We're too old to be paddled," Erica DeRamus said. "This is high school. We are seniors. If you're going to act up, give us another option besides getting paddled, because this is not the 1940s. We don't take corporal punishment now."

"The thing that I would say is the difference between patience and tolerance," Holloday said. "They're young and sometimes they make young people's mistakes and we're very patient when those things are made, including this. But we're not tolerant of bad behavior or defiance."


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Sources: AP, CNN, KTVU, Google Maps

Tommy Hilfiger Inc. Sold For $3B To Phillips-Van Heusen

Phillips-Van Heusen Buys Hilfiger For $3 Billion


Phillips-Van Heusen, the clothing conglomerate that owns Calvin Klein, announced Monday that it would buy Tommy Hilfiger, once a leading purveyor of colorful preppy clothing, for about 2.2 billion euros, or $3 billion, in cash and stock.

The deal includes the assumption of 100 million euros ($138 million) in liabilities, Phillips-Van Heusen said.

With the acquisition, Phillips-Van Heusen, which also owns Arrow and Izod and licenses brands like Geoffrey Beene and Kenneth Cole New York, will seek to take advantage of Tommy Hilfiger’s strong European distribution channels for its own products. Despite Tommy Hilfiger’s reputation as a quintessentially American clothier, two-thirds of the company’s business is based in Europe.

The chief executive of Phillips-Van Heusen, Emanuel Chirico, said in a statement that the acquisition was “a unique opportunity to bring together two premier companies, each with iconic brands.”

“Tommy Hilfiger fits all of our acquisition criteria: a strong brand, superior management, highly profitable, immediately accretive to earnings, and focused on international growth,” Mr. Chirico said.

Tommy Hilfiger’s revenue for the year ending March 31 is expected to be about $2.25 billion, the statement on the deal said. About 46 percent of the revenue comes from wholesale sales and 52 percent from retail sales.

Under the terms of the deal, Phillips-Van Heusen will pay a combination of cash and stock, though most of the offer would be in cash. The former owner, Apax Partners, will still own about 13 percent of the American clothing company. Phillips-Van Heusen is expected to take on more than $2.5 billion in debt to finance the deal.

While Mr. Hilfiger no longer holds a management role at the company that bears his name, he remains a principal designer and a public face for the clothier.

Tommy Hilfiger’s chief executive, Fred Gehring will continue as chief, according to Monday’s announcement.


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Sources: NY Times, Harpo Studios, Oprah Show, Youtube, Google Maps