Hey!
So our first contestant for our mini Bombshell Contest is Donnica from my hometown Atlanta, Georgia:
She says, “I’m more of a classic kind of girl with a little flair. I’ll pick up bits and pieces and the new trends and blend it in with the classic styles I love. You won’t catch me totally out there, but I’m slowly making my way!”
Cute ‘fit Donnica! Loving your red pumps.
What do you think?
And if you’d like to compete in our mini contest, you have until Friday! Send your name, location, picture, plus a bit about your style to thefashionbomb@gmail.com.
So Fashion Bombshell of the Day submissions have slowed down to a sad little trickle, and I know there are tons of you out there who know how to work it!
This week, we’re going to jumpstart one of our most fun features with a little contest, care of Christian Louboutin for Barbie:
Whoever submits the best picture *this week* will win a haute red heeled Barbie dressed in a safari- inspired dress and over the knee, hot pink fringed boots! The stylish doll even comes with a wardrobe of three alternate pairs of shoes, complete with mini Christian Louboutin boxes and bags. Super cute.
So what do you have to do? Simply send in your most stylish photo! Your fellow Bombshells will vote for their fave on Friday, and we’ll announce the winner on Monday.
A few notes:
*Former Fashion Bombshells can resubmit new pictures, but know this contest is geared towards new faces.
*We will have a much bigger Most Fashionable Bombshell contest (similar to the one we did back in 2007) with a slew of cool prizes. This is just a little appetizer before the big meal.
*While we’d love for anyone to participate, this contest is meant for those who love Louboutin + Barbie. So don’t forget to leave a comment telling us why you want this doll!
In case you don’t win this week’s competition, you can purchase the collectible item for $150 at Net-a-Porter or BarbieCollector.com:
Hey Guys!
I’m going to take a little break from reporting on Paris Fashion Week to bring you some good old Fashion Bombshell goodness! Today we have Shayna, a merchandising student at New York’s FIT:
She says, “My style is ever evolving. I wear a piece of leopard print everyday. As an Artist, I love the femininity it represents… Girl Power!“
Well, Shayna, you certainly have an eclectic look. I admire your courageous haircut, nails, heck even your leopard print catsuit!
Ow!
What do you guys think of Shayna’s style?
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature that showcases the singular style and flair of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, and Fashion Bombshell of the Day Picture to thefashionbomb@gmail.com.
So aside from reading my random Twitter rumblings about laundry, France, and fashion, you can also hop aboard the Talley train:
That’s right! Our fave Vogue Editor-at-Large, Andre Leon Talley, is tweeting his thumbs away, offering practical wisdom like, “Love yourself today. Give a smile to your fellow man. Love you, then you can love others,” and endorsing designers like Fashion Bomb friend LaQuan Smith, saying, “LaQuan Smith, the new African-American wonderkind of fashion, during New York fashion week. Great promise.”
If you’re suffering from a famine of beauty, he’s worth a follow! Check him out at www.twitter.com/OfficialALT.
Hey!
It’s been a while since we’ve had a Bombshell of the Day, and found a worthy candidate with Mocha of the blog www.majormocha.com:
Of her outfit, she explains, “During Fashion week I went to the hot new funky shades designer Stevie Boi’s launch party for his Fallen Angel collection. I had no clue what to wear because a few days before the event I saw Stevie Boi and his crew in the tents at Bryant Park and he was “fierce”. His entourage was dressed so futuristic everyone was staring, I thought what do I wear to party with these futuristic fashionistas?? Thus I went home looked through my closet and came up with my own look. I wore a gold and black one piece that I had custom made for me by a designer from Brooklyn , thigh-high boots and a wild pair of Versace shades. The shades was such a big hit that Free formally of 106 & Park fell in love with them.” “That’s me with models Rosa Acosta and Tanyka Renee. What do you think?”
Snaps to anyone with the courage to wear a gold and black one piece! I couldn’t pull that off…
What do you guys think?
Check out Mocha at www.majormocha.com.
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature that showcases the singular style and flair of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, and Fashion Bombshell of the Day Picture to thefashionbomb@gmail.com.
Every season, website Jezebel.com does a remarkably thorough report on the diversity (or lack thereof) on the runway:
This year the numbers came in–and they weren’t very encouraging. The article states, “Of 4,095 turns on the runway, only 662 went to models who weren’t white. That’s barely 16%. Black models, at 323 bookings, were used the most of any single ethnic group, aside from whites. Asians were second, with 264. Latinas were a distant third, with 61 trips down the catwalk. Fourteen times during this fashion week, models of other races were used in a runway show.” The article goes on to state that the United States is 75% white, and that shows should therefore reflect true American demographics.
The issue of diversity in fashion has been a hot topic for years now, starting with Bethann Hardison’s “Absence of Color” talks back in 2008. The fact that fashion can be exclusionary, elitist, and dare I say racist is no secret. The real question is: what do we do about it?
The idea of boycotting a line that doesn’t use models of color is appealing, but unrealistic. Apparently the Max Azrias, the forces behind Hervé Leger, BCBG, and Max Azria, were some of the main perpetrators of the ‘no color’ policy. But to think that you’ll pass up that hot BCBG frock just because the runway show didn’t feature a diverse cast seems silly. If you can do it, bravo.
I think the true solution is to simply get more people of color working behind the scenes. Casting directors clearly don’t prioritize having a multiracial cast of models, and no amount of complaining or discussion can make them change the way they conduct business. Sure, the initial fury over the lack of color resulted in a few one offs, including the all black Italian Vogue, but if we want a systematic change, it must be done from the inside.
If the recent rise of bloggers has taught me anything, it’s that fashion will recognize hard work and talent, regardless of the package it comes in. I’m challenging all of you who want to work in fashion to take on those unpaid internships, do the best job you can, sacrifice, and start to diversify the industry yourselves. Or be like Bethann and start your own modeling agency that recognizes true talent and makes the connections needed to make sure runways reflect reality.
What do you think?
Read the full article on this year’s runways at Jezebel.com.
Hey!
So I finally made it to my first show of London Fashion Week: Matthew Williamson.
A huge crowd gathered outside Lawrence Hall on Greycoat Street to take in the latest collection of the London designer best known for his use of bright colors and psychadelic patterns.
After a bit of a wait, we were finally let in:
The venue was quite large, and I took my seat next to a nice young lady on the second row. After chit chatting a bit, I found out it was Britt of Fashionista.com! I spied several other editors and stars on the front row, including Sienna Miller, Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes, Model Tolula Adeyemi, Kate Lamphear of Elle US, Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribute, and Derek Blasberg of Style.com.
Though the collection was for Williamson’s Fall 2010 line, it seemed he was mixing both spring and winter pieces, parading out brightly colored sleeveless dresses in royal blues, bright pinks, and oranges along with fur coats and weighty wool jackets.
My personal favorite was a metallic draped front gold mini dress towards the end of the collection.
Hot, no?
After the show, I made my way to the front, and snapped a picture with Undercover Fashionista of 2009, Shingai Shoniwa of the Noisettes along with model Tolula Adeyemi:
They were super nice, and promised to check out The Fashion Bomb. I hope they do!
Tonight I have a few more presentations and parties on tap. Will keep you posted!
Hey Guys!
So in between running to shows (updates to come), I’ve been doing a little shopping:
Yes, that’s how happy shopping makes me:)
My friends and I dipped into the East End, a fashionable area full of vintage shops, shoe stores, and boutiques selling items by indie designers:
While walking around, I happened upon these casual stylistas who were selling old clothes for 1 pound each:
Hey Guys!
Today we’re going to take a slight break from our Fashion Week show reviews and Real Style shots to give you a bit of old school Breaking into Fashion goodness! We recently caught up with uber sunglass designer, Kerin Rose, creator of the industry’s hottest, most sought after shades:
If you don’t know who Kerin Rose is, you must not be reading the Fashion Bomb!! The 26-year-old Long Island native uses Swarovski crystals, spikes, chains, lace, studs and pearls to decorate sunglasses worn by Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Fergie, Nicki Minaj, Estelle, Cassie, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kid Sister.
Kerin’s grind literally doesn’t stop, and she’s a heck of a multi-tasker! As she was hand making a series of sunglasses, she also talked to us on the phone, sharing her story and offering a bit of advice to you aspiring creatives. Ready?
The NYU alum always had a penchant for embellishments. She said, “I used to bedazzle all of my cell phones. I have my cell phones from 2000 when I was 17 and there are crystals all over them! I thought I was going to get a new phone and bought all these crystals for it. Turns out I didn’t get a new phone, so I had a bunch of leftover crystals. I broke the one pair of glasses I owned and said,’ Why don’t I bedazzle some glasses?'”
What happened seemingly by accident actually turned out to be her calling card. “I wore my glasses around and people kept asking me where I got them. People would scream at me from across the street asking about my sunglasses! When we talked, they’d ask me where they could get them. I told them I made them in my house, and they asked why I didn’t sell them.”
She continues, “I was about to go to school to get my Master’s, but was working at a boutique before I started school. The shop agreed to let me sell my shades there. I’d put four out and they’d be gone in days.” Her first celebrity client was Mariah Carey, whose stylist plucked Kerin’s Bizet sunglasses for the video “My Love.”
After Mariah, several other celebrities followed suit, most notably Rihanna who wore Kerin’s Barracuda Sunglasses for the internationally acclaimed video, ‘Run this Town”:
Aside from Rihanna, designers have also flocked to Kerin for specialized accessories–Rose designed an exclusive collection for Project Runway alum Christian Siriano’s recent runway show:
Of course Rose’s designs have spawned copycats who have started their own movements thanks to lower priced, yet strikingly similar frames. Kerin welcomes competition, but says, “I don’t mind if you’re going to do your own thing, but don’t do a shitty version of my thing. I don’t like people taking credit for my work.”
She adds, “ I pay super attention to the quality of work. My sunglasses may be expensive, but I use high quality supplies. And the people who have come out and done stuff don’t put the same care and energy into their work. The material is not great. It’s lower quality. I’ve seen and held the item in my hand. Do your thing, but give me some competition.”
For you future designers, she advises, “Stick to what you know. Do what you’re good at. There was a time when I was daydreaming about making T-shirts and they weren’t that great. Do you. I’m really good at playing with glitter, so I followed my talent.”
She continues, “Don’t limit yourself because it prevents great opportunities from coming your way. And if you’re going to do it, do it right or don’t do it at all.”
In conclusion, she offered a bit of unconventional advice. Be nice. She says, “If you’re a good person with good intentions then good things will come to you.” So true!
Purchase A-Morir by Kerin Rose sunglasses at www.a-morir.com or at select retailers like Karmaloop.com
Also stay tuned for her future projects, which include collaborations with graffiti artist Claw Money and Converse.
What do you think of today’s Breaking into Fashion subject?
Smootches!
