My Top 8 People, Places and Things of 2008

So uh, yeah, this is a lil' late. My bad, ish happens. Regardless, I'm quite interested to know what you guys agree and disagree with so please leave me a comment with your two cents. This post wouldn't be complete without acknowledging a few of the dope (and not so dope) things 2008 meant to me personally. I finally made that trip to South Africa (Maybe I will actually upload those pics in '09?), spent a glorious day solo in the Everglades and made significant strides in my career (it's all about the plan). I also lost a couple of family members (RIP David and Darryl), gained a new one (Welcome Khloe!) and learned what it really means to forgive someone and to be forgiven. While PPT is far from what I want it to be and know that it can be; it's like me, a work in progress.

So, here are the things that were on my radar in 2008:

HAIR: Keri Hilson, Victoria Beckham and Janelle Monae get my award for maintaining the hottest tresses in 2008. Keri's modern day 70's flip with blonde accents kept me interested when I became bored when everyone else was sweating Rihanna's strands. Victoria Beckham got shorty again the way only she can. And Miss Janelle brought back the French roll! I love French rolls and have been waiting for their return. Plus, Janelle is as cute as a button (Her skin is FLAWLESS!) and I like that she wears her naturally curly hair in a style we've really only seen on straight hair.

Hilson kept a fresh do in '08.


Monae rocking her updated version of the French roll.

FASHION: Michelle "I know I've been sweating her all year" Obama. No real explanation here. She's the epitome of fly to me. Even when she rocks something I don't necessarily get, I love her style. I guess if I had to choose my favorite look from her last year it would be the purple shift dress and the black patent belt worn during the now infamous "fist bump". Michelle was killing 'em that night! Our soon to be First Lady is this blog's tagline "Style goes way beyond clothes" personified.

Purple Power

MUSIC: About 75% of the music I listen to was released at least 10 years ago. All the more reason for me to be excited about Jazmine Sullivan's "official" debut in 2008. My homie Tress put me on to Jazmine a few years back and I was instantly a fan based on her rendition of Resentment. I had the opportunity to meet the Philly songstress last year, right before her album dropped, and she was such a sweetie. Oh and all those Grammy nominations she snagged? Lovin' it.

FILM: I'm not a big movie goer and in fact my friends clown me about all the flicks I haven't seen. But I, along with most of the world, got super excited about the Sex and the City movie. I know it got a whole lotta hype that many would argue it didn't quite live up to. However, what I appreciate the most about the film was that it crushed so many stereotypes and predictions about women not turning up in big numbers at the theater. Yeah, I tend to root for the underdog.

ECONOMY: The word recessionista replaced fashionista in 2008 and for good reason. Ish hit the fan. Between the bailouts, the layoffs and the crazy oil prices, it was a bumpy ride for all of us. I've been blessed to stay afloat financially for the most part but I've altered my spending habits and focused more on what really matters to me.

THE REAL (AND NOT SO REAL) SOCIALITE: Bravo's reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta struck gold for the network, breaking records and getting a second season. But the five women left many wondering how "fabulous" their lives really were when the cameras were off... Maggie Betts on the other hand became a presence on the mainstream front (she's been a fixture in NYC society circles) and unlike Genevieve Jones... Well, I'm not gonna go there. It seems kinda silly to boast about Betts coming from a wealthy and "connected" family when folks are b-r-o-k-e. My point is simply that she was "that girl" in 2008 for the fashion and media crowd.

Betts out and about.

BLACK IS BACK (Hopefully to stay this time.): The All Black Vogue Italia had me and most of you reading this going nuts! Again, I give most of the credit for this to Bethann Hardison for fearlessly getting the conversation started about the lack of Black models on the runway back in 2007.

And last but certainly not least (insert drumroll here)... BARACK OBAMA. Yes. He. Did. Not too much to say about this man that hasn't already been said. I am grateful that in addition to donating to his campaign and making phone calls to folks in PA among other things, I was able to use PPT as a platform to encourage people to vote last November. That is a beautiful thing. But the journey has just begun and there is a lot of work to do. For all of us to do. Looking forward to what 2009 will bring and hope you are too!


MR. PRESIDENT

Get Shorty: Victoria "Posh" Beckham's Fab Haircut

Happy Monday! Despite not accomplishing everything I wanted to this weekend (when do we ever), I had such a good time: ate at a cool Brooklyn restaurant that helped me relive my recent South African vacay, partied at a friend of a friend's bday celebration in a sexy little nightclub (I rarely party on the weekends), caught up with some of my favorite folks on the horn, worked on a story and even chillaxed for a bit. Pretty productive all in all.

But this post isn't about my weekend, it's about hair! Victoria "Posh" Beckham's tresses to be exact. With all that is going on in the world, the specifics of Victoria's new-ish haircut seems trivial but I really wanna know how you guys feel about it. I'll be honest that I was a tad late to learn of her cut since she debuted the look during Spring 2009 Fashion Week in NY when I was on the other side of the world. Never one to shy away from risks, Mrs. Posh has long been a chameleon when it comes to her strands. Some people are still debating on whether she or Rihanna are responsible for the infamous bob trend of 2007. (I'm leaning towards Victoria myself.)



Well, the reason for this post is as much as I'm feeling Beckham's new 'do, many are saying that she went too short this time around. I beg to differ. And something tells me that before long, copycats galore will be rocking the same cut. True trendsetters are rarely understood in the beginning. Read what the glamazon had to say to London's Telegraph about her hair:

"You know, I just like to change things up. I get bored very, very quickly and I just fancied a change."

I so dig this chick.

What do you think about this new cut? Love it or loathe it? Leave a comment and let me know.

P.S. - I must come clean and admit that I might be bias since I cut my hair super short earlier this year. Too bad I don't have a hairstylist on call like I'm sure Posh does to help me on bad-hair days like today...

Bend It Like Posh

Dear Mr. Blackwell,

I recently learned that you included Victoria "Posh" Beckham on your Worst Dressed List.

Tsk, tsk.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why your list has become such a cultural phenomenon anyway. But then again, George Bush was elected into office twice. Well, you’ve certainly got a right to your opinion but I need to also give you mine. I know you’ll never read this letter but something about typing it is kinda liberating.

First off, Mrs. Beckham is a bad ass. Period. Fly as she wanna be. Unapologetically sexy. Take that, take that type of sexy. Forget Justin she brought it back for real. Yeah, she can afford to eat a cupcake or two. Of course she’s had work done. And no her vocal ability doesn’t wow me. But I so look forward to seeing pics of her out and about and I know I’m not alone. See, that boho, "I don’t really want you to think I care look" was getting sorta tired. Very tired in fact. There was something so refreshing about Victoria moving across the pond to L.A. and serving all her fierceness to the Uggs, "It" handbags and designer jeans, messy hair uniform wearers of La La land. Plus she manages to stay so fly while being a wife and mother. So what she has a nanny or two, or four?

Yeah, she might be a label whore, favor clothing that is typically tight, short or both but somehow she still manages to look classy and polished. And that is not easy to pull off. Look, this is coming from someone who thinks a tank top and boy shorts can be the epitome of sexy. Still I admire Victoria’s willingness to step out of the box and go slightly left. PC or not. I don’t know the lady, never met her in fact, but she always looks very comfortable in her (Botoxed) skin. Even in 5 inch heels she looks comfortable! It’s obvious that she enjoys dressing up and being the glamazon that she is. Right or wrong. Isn’t that what real style is about anyway? Being true to yourself? Victoria has discovered the silhouettes, designers and even haircuts that flatter her and she rocks with them. Yet she isn’t afraid to experiment with color, textures or even proportions. Now she is constantly wearing those Hollywood friendly oversized shades but hey on her; they do seem to work.

The most fabulous thing about the lady is that I highly doubt she’ll give a hoot about being on your list. In fact, it will probably only make her go harder. She just seems like she’s that chick. Yeah, style really does go way beyond clothes, Mr. Blackwell. I’m positive this footballer’s wife is gonna continue to flaunt her mini skirts and sky-high stilettos for many years to come.

All the best,
Bsquared

PS - Victoria Beckham is a very unlikely subject for a PPT blog post. But I had to throw my two cents your way.