Page 135 – Fashion Bomb Daily

On the Scene at Essence Black Women in Hollywood 2023: Including Marsai Martin in For Love & Lemons, Teyana Taylor in Kidill, Quinta Brunson in Greta Constantine and More

Posted on Mar 10, 2023

A marvelous and glorious luncheon honoring the most legendary and eminent black entertainers of Hollywood was a sight to behold at the 16^th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood awards held inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

From honorees such as the legendary Sheryl Lee Ralph, and actress Danielle Deadwyler, to presenters like Quinta Brunson and Yara Shahidi, black excellence arrived in full force with beautifully crafted ensembles that were fiercely fashionable.

The red carpet was filled with accentuating and over-the-top looks, and we all know that anywhere where black women are the topic of the theme, they’re going to show out with guns blazing. Singer Chlöe wore a white maxi body-con cut-out dress with white gloves while giving an incredible performance in her euphonious voice.

We also saw full monochromatic looks from Quinta Brunson and Yandi Smith, and a play on plaid from singer Teyana Taylor. Carolina Wanga served us Solange vibes with her orb-like halo crown while Megan Good and Mona Scott Young looked Spring forward in orange and mint green hues.

Some celebs chose to keep it classic with traditional black and white ensembles like our CEO Claire Sulmers who embodied old Hollywood glam and looked incredible and regal in her Sergio Hudson strapless black and white bicolor column gown. Along with Sulmers, stars like Danielle Deadwyler, Bresha Webb, Kiki Layne and Karrueche opted for those ceremonial colors that you can never go wrong with.

The celebratory afternoon felt ritualistic, in true Essence fashion to praise and present poignant accolades to some of the brightest black women in Hollywood who are challenging the status quo, leaving progressive footprints, and delivering outstanding performances in their chosen fields.

Essence Black Women in Hollywood luncheon ultimately highlighted influential black women who are changing the narrative of what success looks like and what it means to be highly sought after in Hollywood. The honorees and attendees, many of whom were the change-makers in the room, looked victorious, stunning and incredibly modern . Check out some of the red carpet looks below:

Marsai Martin in For Love & Lemons

Quinta Brunson in Greta Constantine

Teyana Taylor in Kidill

Yandy Smith in Naeem Khan

Yara Shahidi

Kandi Burruss in Smythe and Paola Bernardi

Caroline Wanga in Custom Levenity

Claire Sulmers in Sergio Hudson

Crystal Renee in Alex Perry with Valentino and Cult Gaia

Mona Scott Young in Etro and Versace

Cheryl ‘Salt’ James in Versace

MC Lyte in FARM Rio

Monique Rodriguez in Tom Ford, Rene Caovilla and Hermès

Pinky Cole

Amber Riley in Sarlea Mah

Ryan Coogler

Tamera Mowry in Zimmermann

Swanky Jerry

Boris Kodjoe

Niecy Nash in Dolce & Gabbana

Skai Jackson in For Love & Lemons

Danielle Deadwyler in Louis Vuitton

Bresha Webb in Jovana Louis

Brandee in Elie Saab

Kiki Layne in Giuseppe Zanotti and Marzook

Megan Good in Manurí

Nauturi Naughton in Custom Jaell

Sheryl Lee Ralph in Custom Ajovang

Storm Reid in Simkhai

Karrueche in Khatie

Cardi B

Cardi B Takes Son Wave to a SZA Concert in a Marni Knit Mini Dress

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 10, 2023

Cardi B makes motherhood stylish. Whether she’s posing alongside her entire family in Lever Couture or coordinating with them in Denim Tears, the fly femcee knows how to parent without compromising on her fashion icon status. Recently, the Up rapper spent some quality time with her 1-year-old son Wave at a SZA show.

Although she was on mommy duty, Cardi showed up and out in a $1,250 knit Marni mini dress.

The long sleeve dress features a psychedelic print done in orange and red, which she paired with red open-toe heeled sandals and Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.

Meanwhile, baby Wave wore a Dior denim jacket with jeans, DJ Khaled x Air Jordan Retro We the Best sneakers, and a toque as vibey as his mother’s dress.

Celebrity Style

Celebs Love! Yvonne Orji Wears the Dion Lee Chain Link Dress Previously Worn by Normani

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 10, 2023

Dion Lee is an It Girl signature brand with a celebrity following, including Bella Hadid, Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, and more. So it’s no surprise that two beloved A-listers stepped out in designer but also the same design.

For the Creed III premiere, Insecure star Yvonne Orji wore the gray Dion Lee chain link dress: a ribbed knit maxi dress with midriff cutouts decorated with a silver chain that drapes across the open back. Orji kept the styling simple with black simple strap sandals and two silver rings. Beautiful as she looked, I couldn’t help but get deja vú.

Last year, Normani popped out in an altered version of the dress. The Wild Side singer had the dress shortened for a sexier look than the original design, and stylist Kollin Carter paired the dress with Dylan Lex earrings and Jessica Rich silver drip sandals.

The way these ladies are styled speaks to the versatility of the gorgeous piece. For $1,490, would you splurge on this dress as well?

Fashion Week

Naomi Campbell Closed the Off-White Fall 2023 Show

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 10, 2023

Last spring, Off-White announced that editor and stylist Ibrahim Kamara would be taking over as Creative Director. For his first official show, the multi-hyphenate fashion boy harmonized his heritage with the cemented ethos of the house. Fine fabric from West Africa coated varsity bomber jacket gowns and tailoring. The clothes were out of this world, an expression driven home with the Tennis Club de Paris transformed into a lunar landing set. Kamara knows how to put on a show and close one too. For the final look, he had model legend Naomi Campbell close the presentation and stand alongside him during his bow.

Campbell strutted the runway in one of the varsity bomber jacket/gown hybrids: all black and worn with western-adjacent boots. The ribbed collar formed a plunging v-neckline, which ended above one of the garment’s enlarged zippers.

Naomi is no stranger to an Off-White runway and effortlessly wears each look. We’re glad Kamara is keeping her legacy with the brand alive, and we can’t wait to see more of her in his designs for the house.

Accessories

Ashanti Models for Marc Jacobs’ 2023 Spring Handbag Collection

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 10, 2023

Marc Jacobs returns with the release of their Spring 2023 handbag collection. The Quilted Collection features the Marc Jacobs Stam bag which originally hit the runway in 2005, and the Quilted J Marc bag. The Campaign was fronted by R&B Princess, Ashanti alongside the bag’s namesake Jessica Stam, Paris Hilton, Ashlee Simpson and Selma Blair.

No stranger to lavish threads, Ashanti wears extravagant black knit wear and solid black gloves that extended above the elbow while modeling the Quilted J Marc bag which comes in rose, cotton, wolf grey, and black.

Coined the “it girl” bag of its time, the Re-Edition Quilted Leather Stam Bag features a metal chain and coin purse closure. The recording artist again wore all black, this time rocking a textured dress and platform heels, as she poses with the black Stam bag which also comes in white. The ‘little’ version comes in black and rose.

Would you splurge?

Fashion

Balenciaga is Back: The Brand Holds its First Fashion Show Post the Holiday Ad Campaign Scandal

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 9, 2023

Last fall, Balenciaga launched its wildest controversy yet. So unhinged it sent the internet –rightfully so– into a frenzy of furriery so bad the brand’s biggest fan Kim Kardashian made a statement, and Balenciaga went into quiet hiding, removing all of their photos on Instagram and revoking its tagged feature. The crime in question was two campaigns, one with young children wearing teddy bear bags styled in S&M-style accessories and another featuring the Balenciaga x Adidas Hourglass bag laid across court documents relating to the 2008 United States v. Williams Supreme Court decision regarding child pornography laws.

After attempting to sue the production company behind the disturbing pieces of work and then dropping the charges, Balenciaga made it back to the runway during Paris Fashion Week.

What is life after a major scandal? Creative director Demna, formally known as Demna Gvasalia, is no stranger to bouncing back. Lest we forget it was under his leadership that Balenciaga remade IKEA’s 99-cent shopping bag as a luxury item with a hefty price tag and sent war-torn-looking models down the runway toting trash bags of luxury leather. No, this isn’t Balenciaga’s first rodeo but last year marked something unforgivable even for them.

For the Fall/Winter 2023, Denma is back to the basics, to the very idea and reason of the brand: the clothes.

The show was intimate, well as intimate as a Balenciaga show can be. Despite its years of aligning itself with celebrity and celebrity culture, there wasn’t a single A-lister in the front row although 700 guests attended. Industry professionals filled the bright white Carrousel de Lourve space, seated in traditional show form. For a brand that has taken part in elaborate presentation sets more often than not, this was a key symbol of the change within house. The show opened with a series of black tailored looks outfitted with reverse-tailored trousers. Coats long and short feature hems with pockets and pant loops. All of which, of course, are oversize. It is Demna’s Balenciaga after all.

Bringing the focus back to the clothes isn’t the end of Demna’s design ethos but rather an evolution. Elsewhere in the collection outsized denim is paired with equally outsized denim, and he reinvents his floral knife pleat dresses into blouses with pussy bows and elongated sleeves. Styled in monochromatic maximalism with skirts designed in the same print and pleat.

Elsewhere in the collection, we see Demna’s familiar cyber-avatar meets normcore. Male models dressed in futuristic shades donned sweatsuits and hoodies featuring bulbous shoulders and bodies. Some look as if they were hiding coffee machines underneath their garments. Motocross-like boots with pointed toes accompanied most of these looks. A style we’re sure Kanye has called in for already.

One Demna favorite was shockingly missing from this collection, the use of text or even logos. The man loves an ironic slogan tee more than your favorite hypebeast and when logomania had stopped floating down on social media feeds in full force, Balenciaga still held on with its use of the house name like a classic stripe or animal print. No, Fall/Winter 2023 is about refocusing on the legacy of the house. So the eveningwear, though beautiful, isn’t super-sized in typical Demna fashion but sleek and outfitted with high necklines and the projecting shoulders seen throughout the collection.

The recentering on fashion is only one part of the Balenciaga rebrand. For the next three years, the brand will partner with the National Children’s Alliance and plans an internal reform. There’s only one way out of this scandal and it’s through. At least he’ll be stylishly dressed.

Fashion

On the Scene: Treasa Leigh Brown’s We Rise Experience in Toronto Featuring Claire Sulmers, Ronne Brown and Kéla Walker

Rashidah Young

Posted on Mar 8, 2023

Women who dare to dream big, aspire to reach new heights and have a spirit of enterprise were united on Sunday at the ‘We Rise Experience’ Summit in Toronto, Canada to connect, and celebrate their entrepreneurial milestones.

Originally founded by Treasa Leigh Brown, We Rise Experience was initiated in pursuit of creating a space and community for entrepreneurs to collectively partner together to acquire business resources, network and essentially champion one another. The Toronto based company has quickly reached acclaim, with over 200+ guests attending the interactive one-day summit and including a variety of speakers driven to inspire.

Photo: Complementary of WRE

An Iconic group of fearless women gathered to discuss business solutions and who better than our very own CEO Claire Sulmers to headline the We Rise Experience that denotes itself on, “Bridging the gap between roadblocks and success.” Claire, who’s the epitome of a go-getter and has a track record for thriving with her direct-to-consumer company, was joined by feature speakers Ronne Brown and media personality, Kéla Walker.

We Rise Experience Key Note Speakers: Kéla Walker, Ronne Brown and Claire Sulmers

Claire gave advice to fellow female creatives about how to effectively run a business and navigate challenges that successful people inevitably encounter. Sulmers expressed, “What I can tell you now, looking back that if you take your business seriously from the very beginning, bet on success, say this is going to be my full time job, work tirelessly every single day, be consistent and persistent, that a setback is just a set up for success.”

The event included a series of panel sessions, workshops and multiple opportunities for attendees to step into their power and open their minds up to new ways of thinking. Affirmations and messages like, “You need to start believing that nothing is too good for you” was transformative and allowed women bosses to feel empowered.

Television Host, Kéla Walker who is a second time host for the ‘WRE’ event, stated, “It’s a female empowerment event that debunks the notion that events like this are filled with mean girls and serve no purpose however ‘WRE’, really dives into the ideals and goals of the women in attendance, to inspire and motivate them on their path to success.”

Photo: Complementary of WRE

It’s evident that this organization is an example of communal excellence and propels entrepreneurs to reach new momentums. The WE Rise Experience event was well executed, uplifting, and ultimately gave women entrepreneurs the tools to break down barriers and open new doors. It’s events like this where valuable business connections can emerge, and people can not only realize, but actualize their full potential.

Fashion Bombshell of the Day

Fashion Bombshell of the Day: Chanelle from Minnesota

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 8, 2023

Hey Bombshells! Meet Chanelle from Minnesota, our Fashion Bombshell of the Day. Check her out below.

Layering different pieces and/or color blocking with accessories is a great way to add a different dynamic to your looks. She has a chic street style that is also vibrant and playful.

What are your thoughts?

Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. For your chance to be featured, send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com.

Fashion Bomber of the Week

Fashion Bomber of the Week: Jon from Germany

The Fashion Bomb Staff

Posted on Mar 8, 2023

Hello Bombshells and Bombers, we’re back with another men’s style highlight. This week we’re spotlighting fashion influencer and stylist Jon.

Originally from Germany but based in Miami, Florida, Jon is an eclectic style king with an appreciation for tailoring and monochromatic looks. His wardrobe’s packed with punchy colors, which he confidently pairs with equally vibrant hues.

When asked about his style, Jon states it’s undefinable due to his ever-changing moods and range. Although, he admits he loves mixing high fashion with low fashion finds. Ultimately you can catch him in a variety of looks from luxury to streetwear and classic.

If you’re interested in being featured as a Fashion Bomber of the Week DM Fashion Bomb Men on Instagram your name, city, a brief bio on your style an 5-10 photos of your best looks.

Fashion

Fashion Bombshell of the Day: Debra from New York

Posted on Mar 7, 2023

Meet Debra, also known by the IG handle @lacanuckkreyol from New York. She’s both fashionable and business savvy and has a love for DIY projects that consists of creating and reconstructing garments.

From bold and edgy, to vibrant and aesthetically pleasing colors, Debra’s style is unabashedly unique. She finds inspiration both domestically and internationally and believes that inspiration can be found through experiencing some of life’s treasures including art, film, and architecture.

As a strategy and brand consultant, Debra helps brands realize their full protentional through business and marketing initiatives. She also utilizes her creative energy to capture her fashionable looks through her style diary on both Instagram and YouTube.

Debra shops everywhere from high end to low end stores to cater to the evolution of her style. From luxury stores like Bergdorf to department stores like Target, Debra is always on the hunt for a good find and if she can’t find one, she simply takes the initiative to design one. As a designer and self-proclaimed Sewist Extraordinaire, she sources stunning fabrics from Mood Fabrics when she’s in the mood to create something from scratch.

Her fashion advice is, “Never be afraid to try something new because life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know.” Leave us a comment letting us know what you think of Debra’s style.

Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will remain published or unpublished at our discretion.