Fashion Bits & Pieces

Happy Monday, folks!

I'm just returning from a relaxing vacay in Cabo with Mr. TK. If you go for the first time in the near future, be sure to check out El Squid Roe (a local informed me that Christina Aguilera had her bachelorette fiesta here) for sh*ts and giggles and then pop into Mandala right next door for the downtown, grown and sexy vibe.

Here are just a few of the moment things that I thought you'd be interested in on the fashion tip.

- I've raved about how fly specialty retailer Liberty is before. The thing is however, during my London stint I could only window-shop there because the prices were too steep for my pockets. Well, WWD is reporting that the store is in advanced talks with Target about a stateside collabo. As early as spring 2010, an array of funky Liberty prints could be worked into clothing and accessories at Tar-jay prices. NICE!

The super-cute and talented Keke Palmer is making (more) moves. The teenage actress who is the star of "True Jackson, VP" is the inspiration of a new tween line at retail giant Wal-Mart. Nickelodeon is launching the label that just hit stores just in time for the Back-to-School rush. Selling for less than $14, Mad Style by True Jackson will be available in sizes 7 to 16 and targets 7-11 year-old-girls. I had the pleasure of meeting Palmer last year and she's certainly one to watch. I'm quite proud.

- I don't know how I managed to not inform you of Onion by Whitney Mero before now but put it on your radar, please. Onion is a well-edited line featuring figure flattering dresses that are created by Spelman grad and all-around diva Whitney Mero (so trite that d-word but Whitney just is one). Full of feel-good fabrics, the ultra-feminine collection has a cult follwing of ladies who like to stand out in the crowd a bit. I just learned that there will be an Onion trunk sale in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 29 at 1PM (PT) in Villa Gloria (1819 S. Norton Ave). All you West Cost chicas should check it out. Extra bonus: if you're preggars, most of these dresses will fit over your bump but still make you feel sexy. How cool is that?

Shopping Like A Rich Woman

Happy Friday!

So in yesterday's WWD, I noticed a charticle on spending habits that I found quite amusing. The piece shows a snapshot of the top, midtier and discount stores where consumers with annual incomes of $250,000 or more said they've been shopping. Interesting, right? Now, perhaps because I was an advertising, marketing and communications major I tend to take surveys like these with a grain of salt. I'm sure the sample was small, I know first-hand that folks say what they typically think others want to hear, etc. Still, the result of this research is pretty telling. See for yourself:



1 - Target, 46.2 percent

2 - Costco, 39.5 percent

3 - Macy's, 38.6 percent

4 - Nordstrom, 31.9 percent

5 - Wal-Mart, 25.9 percent

6 - Kohl's, 20.6 percent

7 - Bloomingdale's, 19.3 percent

8 - T.J. Maxx, 18.6 percent

9 - Sam's Club, 18.2 percent

10 - Neiman Marcus, 16.4 percent

11 - J.C. Penney, 14.2 percent

12 - Lord & Taylor, 12.5 percent

13 - Saks Fifth Avenue, 12.3 percent

14 - Dillard's, 11.5 percent

15 - Sears, 11.1 percent

16 - Barneys New York, 7.2 percent

17 - Kmart, 6.9 percent

18 - Bergdorf Goodman, 5.8 percent


Now keeping all things in perspective: is an annual personal income of $250,000 high? (in most parts of the country it certainly is), were most of the people surveyed married and/or have children, what part of the country was the survey conducted in...yada, ya... I still think it is safe to say that over half of the top 10 stores (including the number one spot) being discount retailers gives us a real window into the minds of those who what to make their dollar stretch. I happen to LOVE Target (where else can I get a mop, a scented candle, a dress and deodorant under one roof?) and make far less than 250K a year but I've long noticed that Target, Sam's Club, Costco, and T.J. Maxx stores are rarely ever in the neighborhoods that seem to need them the most. Hmmmm.

I'm clearly opening up a much bigger can of worms and I will certainly revisit this topic later. But, in the meantime I'd like to know of the stores listed above, where do you shop most and why? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Btw, I thought that title would grab your attention. ;-) A whole 'notha can of worms is what constitutes someone being rich, right? All relative my friends, all relative. But do remember that the survey consisted of those with personal annual salaries of 250K or more, NOT household salaries of 250K or more. Huge difference.

CALLING ALL DESIGNERS!

So, this isn't a real post but I couldn't let another day past without spreading this info (been meaning to since last week). It just might help put the next Tracy Reese or Ozwald Boateng on the map!

As appeared in WWD:

What: Bloomingdale's is hosting their FIRST EVER Designer Open-See for Women's Ready-to-Wear and Accessories

When: Noon until 4pm starting this Friday, February 6th (And every first Friday of each month going forward: March 6th, April 3rd, May 1st...)

Where: Bloomies Fashion Office - 155 East 60th Street, 11th floor
***Designers will be seen on a first come, first serve basis so I suggest showing up around 10am. When Bendel's does their similiar open-see, folks show up hella early!

Please call 212.705.3437 for more info.

What Michelle Obama Owes You

Absotively nothing.

However, some folks of the Black Artists Association seems to think otherwise. The group is livid that our First Lady has not notably worn anything by Black fashion designers. BAA cofounder and former model Amnau Eele said she will make a formal appeal to the First Lady's office regarding her outrage. "It's fine and good if you want to be all 'Kumbaya' and 'We Are The World' by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B. Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other Black designers do something too?" Eele told Women's Wear Daily last week. Eele added, "She [Obama] had seven slots to wear designer clothes. Why wasn't she wearing the clothes of a Black designer? That was out moment."


First Lady Michelle Obama rocking a Maria Pinto frock.

Sigh. I guess I better get used to this. For the next eight years (yep, EIGHT years), the Obamas will be placed under an enormous amount of pressure to "represent". I really think our First Lady's fashion choices are a matter of a tree simply being a tree, for the most part. She also appears to be a creature of habit, sticking to the folks she knows. Maria Pinto is a prime example. Quite frankly, I was happy to learn she was wearing Jason Wu because he wasn't really on anyone's radar for her to wear. Oscar (de la Renta) would have been kinda predictable as would Pinto have been at this point. She likes to keep folks guessing and the fact that he is only freakin 26 years old was a plus for me too! Yay for the underdog. Now, are there Black designers I'd like to see Michelle wear? Of course! I've already mentioned that Edward Wilkerson of Lafayette 148 would have Michelle even more smashing. He's a beast. And since she seems to favor flirty print dresses for day, Tracy Reese should certainly be a staple in her wardrobe. Because she is nearly 6 feet tall, I imagine that she wears at least a size 11 shoe. Samanta would be a great footwear choice for her since they offer stylish heels, strappy sandals and sophisticated stilletos for women who don't wear a standard size 8.

And we also don't know if Michelle's people actually reached out to any Black designers or not. I believe I'll hold on and see what the end will be. Let's give the woman a chance already before we start publicly pouting to reporters at WWD.

What do you think? Are the folks of the BAA being too critical or do you agree with their beef? Leave me a comment and let me know.

UPDATE: B. Michael tells the BAA not to speak on his behalf.

UPDATE #2: Eele defends herself on ESSENCE.com.

People, this is exhausting.

One to Watch: Baltimore's Rye Rye

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS! I can't believe how quickly 2008 passed us by but I find myself saying that every January 1st about the previous year. 2009 is here and time waits for no man.

Earlier this week I caught up on my WWD reading from the week before since I was out of town. To my pleasant surprise I saw a young brown girl on the cover of the 12.23.08 issue (see below) when I retrieved my mail. Trust me, this doesn't happen very often. Turns out the cover girl is rapper Ryeisha Berrain aka Rye Rye. Miss Rye Rye, 18, hails from Baltimore, Maryland and is actually a protege of British import M.I.A. Rye Rye is the first artist signed to M.I.A.'s Interscope imprint label, N.E.E.T. Kinda cool, right?



Well, as I read on, I learn that Rye Rye has already appeared on a track called Shake It To The Ground which became an underground Baltimore club anthem and MySpace sensation. I have to admit I've only listened to that song and she's no MC Lyte but my interest is peaked because although Rye Rye is a rapper, she might finally bring the Baltimore club sound to the masses if she blows up. I attended college in Maryland for a minute before transferring to F.I.T. and was introduced to Bmore club music and the jaw dropping dancing that goes along with it. (Shout out to anyone reading this who ever went to Hammerjacks in the late 1990's. CRAZY!) It was much faster than the club music I was used to and reminded me of techno, in a good way. Anyhoo, Rye Rye has M.I.A. cosigning for her so I have high hopes.





Apparently the fashion industry has high hopes for Rye Rye as well. In her WWD spread, she rocked everything from American Apparel to Custo Barcelona. Thanks to M.I.A., Rye Rye is up on designers like Jeremy Scott and goes on shopping sprees at Topshop. She often even makes her own clothes according to WWD. And I'm digging her rainbow hued hair (but girls in Bmore were always left with their hair) because it is refreshing in the music industry's sea of copycat locks. Right now it is too early for me to tell whether this Bmore b-girl is a true creative stylista or just a new artist being heavily styled to fit a marketing plan. It's probably a little of both. Still, I am excited about a young lady on the come up in hip-hop who is (seemingly) relying on lyrical skills (plus fancy footwork) and not using t&a to get on.

Stay tuned.

I'm posting my 'Best of 2008' list next!

Is A Photo Shoot Ever Just A Photo Shoot?

Aren’t these pictures gorgeous? I had to share. They are my favorite selects from Monday’s WWD supplement feature story. I love red rock country -- the scenery there is simply captivating (if you’ve never been, you gotta go), this model is no-brainer beautiful and the art direction for this shoot is on point. I also dig the bold jewelry used for this story, most of which was from Barbara Flood’s Closet. In case you’re wondering why the actual clothes are sorta blah, Monday is intimate apparel day at WWD so the focus here is lingerie/innerwear.

How many like stories can we expect since Italian Vogue’s Black issue? I honestly don’t know if that is what prompted this 12 page feature (FYI: 12 pages is huge for mags, much less a trade supplement.) but it sorta makes me go hmmmm. And if the Italian Vogue issue was indeed the catalyst for this and the other similar stories that are sure to follow in coming months from mainstream mags, should we care? Will this kinda thing even be an issue (either way) two seasons from now? Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

I have made my opinion pretty clear in previous posts but I'm curious of what others think on the matter. And for those who might be feeling that there are bigger issues "we" need to concern ourselves with, I might agree with you but I also suggest reading this. Positive self-image is pretty darn important.