Cute.
You might be wondering: What’s the difference between a tent show and a smaller show? Well for starters, this one was held in a super cool loft space…
…and instead of everyone jockying for seats, most people stood to the side or sat wherever they could find an open nook. Bonus: the attitude-y/ ‘what are you doing here’ vibe was totally nonexistant.
So if you don’t know about Telfar, he was raised in Liberia, and describes his clothing as “simplexity” i.e. he uses simple materials to make complex clothing with unexpected silhouettes and details.
A few looks from last night’s collection:

Telfar goes for a sporty vibe with a twist. He sticks to a neutral color palette of gray, white, black, and brown, and works with fabrics like cotton, jersey, and voile. While his clothes may look like standard gym issue at first glance, details like pockets, draping, hoods, and bunching at the legs, arms, even the back….
…set this line apart. Telfar wasn’t your average show, which is why it was amazing.
As fun as it was, I’m plunging back into the melee today with shows by Tracy Reese, Max Azria, and ooooh…Baby Phat. For once, I just might have to give you a weekend update!
And, guys, if you’re in NYC, last call…

…come to my party on Saturday!
It’s just gonna be fun. No stress, no drama, just good ol fashioned fun! RSVP to fullthrottleparty@gmail.com
Smootches!
PS After the show, I ran into designer Malcolm Harris and we kicked it for a while (even did a little party shoe shopping). Don’t know who he is?? Really!?! Well, he’s the Creative Director for the made-to-order fashion brand Mal Sirrah. I wrote about him here. You should also check out his blog (yes!) Cut, Sew, and Blog (www.cutsewandblog.com). He’s the bomb y’all!
PSS Duh, Real Style. So I’m going for ‘different looks’ in these pictures, and the guests at Telfar didn’t dissapoint. I ran into Regina…
…a model booker who struck me with her quirky steeze. I appreciate how her chunky gold chain stood in contrast to her demure haircut and bookish glasses. Slap on some tights with boots…chick is stylish in her own way.
As a booker, of course I had to ask her about the ethnic models issue. She revealed that she had booked two models for the Telfar show, and said that it all, “Depends on the girl and the desire of the designer. It’s a combination of things.” So perhaps in order to see ethnic models we need more ethnic designers showing at Fashion Week?? Hmm…a whole ‘nother issue. Maybe Malcolm can weigh in…

“There was a turning point where you had many girls working at once, and it looked like things were going to change; we all had high hopes. But then things regressed. Now it seems like all that hard work we did has not changed anything. It’s really hard to wake up in 2007 and accept that we shouldn’t push the door open again. We can’t shut our mouths any longer.”–Naomi Campbell

Hey readers,
So Kenya Hunt, an editor for New York Metro, wrote a huge article yesterday on the dearth of ethnic models on the catwalk. She says, “While browsing through the women’s boards of the top New York agencies listed on Models.com, few represented more than two black, Latina or Asian models. South Asian women were represented by exactly one model, Ujjwala at IMG, while some agencies such as Supreme management had rosters that were entirely white.”
Inspired, I decided that this time around, I’d pay attention to exactly how many ethnic models I saw strutting down the runway. Is there truth to the rumor?
Last night my homie Shameek and I hit up the Nicole Miller and LAMB shows.
I love Nicole Miller’s clothes; it seemed that drab beige is her pick for spring…

…though she jazzed it up with splashes of celery/citron and paisley.

While her clothes were elegant, she only had one black model…


And Shameek noted that she was skinnier than the rest. Are stakes so high that ethnic models have to be twice as skinny to walk the runway???
Next up was LAMB, which was a ZOO. Diddy was sitting front row. I tried to get a picture, but was soooo far away that my picture is indeed laughable…

…Ha!
Shameek and I both loved LAMB’s avant garde meets streetwear vibe. Gwen’s show featured jackets, dresses, and separates in patterns like plaids…


…and herringbone….

…but this time around, she really represented with two models of color…


…Chanel Iman being one of them.
Hmm…not sure how shocked I should be. Are we at the point now where we accept discrimination and don’t say anything about it? Is this a non-issue?
At any rate, it’s going to be an interesting Fashion Week if my focus is on ethnic models. Hopefully there’ll be something to cover!
Smootches!
PS Of course, I’m going to give you Real Style from the Tents every day! My pic today is of Shawn Wright and Randal Jacobs…

…writers for the site www.fashionwindows.com. Their look is very 80’s…from Shawn’s large Moschino bag and glasses to Randals collared preppy shirt, sweater, and cutoffs.
So, what do you think? Are they FaB (Fashion Bomb)?

Hey Guys,
So Fashion Week is on and poppin! I peeped BCBG’s show…

… this morning and caught a glimpse of Ciara and Ashlee Simpson sitting front row…

…Can you see ’em? Ciara has a hat on and Ashlee has long blond tendrils. They’re both turned talking to each other (or avoiding the camera lens of everyone in there).
Anyway, the show was cool…yet sort of so so. The clothes lacked anything really avante garde or quirky and the color scheme, for the most part was sort’ve bla. I didn’t bother taking pictures with my ghetto camera…you can get better pix online at nymag.com! But the excitement was definitely in the air for one of the very first fashion shows of the season. I’m juiced!

So there are several black designers showing this season–Stephen Burrows, Tracy Reese, Kimora Lee, and Rachel Roy–but one you may not have heard of is Kai Milla, also known as Stevie Wonder’s wife:

A native of Washington D.C., Milla studied fine art and design at the Corcoran School. She was a freelance art director before meeting Stevie in 1999, and was inspired to start her line in 2003 after seeing a John Galliano for Dior Couture show in Paris. In an April 2007 Harper’s Bazaar article she says, “When I saw what John Galliano did, the energy of the show was so inspiring. I saw what fashion could be. I had to do it.”

A quick look at her Fall 2007 looks, and I’m instantly impressed by the fluidity, and classic shapes with a twist at either the neck or sleeves:

Love the simple color palette and how she plays with proportion, whether by the use of belts or varying hem lengths… Hopefully I can check out her collection next Monday!
Smootches!
Fashion News and What Nots:
*The Fashion Bomb is in today’s Women’s Wear Daily!!!

Click to Enlarge
I’ve made my mainstream debut in an article about bloggers at Fashion Week! Check out the article here.
*Guy Trebay discusses why Fashion matters.
*Eric Wilson reports on knockoffs.

Mail Bombs.
Allons-y (Let’s get it):
Reader Eisha is a huge Rihanna fan, and wanted to know the make of this sea foam dress….

…she wore to last year’s Fashion Rocks.
Doing a quick search, I found that the dress is from Zac Posen’s Spring 2006 collection…

..It’s not in stores, but if you want something similar, I’d say that this $100 Adrianna Papell Bead Babydoll Dress comes close in color…

And this $178 Sequin Grecian Halter Dress (also by Adrianna Papell)…

…comes close in design.
Good luck!
Next up, Erin says, “I love to wear dresses and skirts in the summertime, and I don’t want to stop with fall. Can you recommend some great fall dresses to carry me through the season?”
I love a good sweater dress for cooler temps, and you can never go wrong with a shift dress in a seasonless wool. If you’re looking for a summer to winter transition piece, a wrap dress always looks great with a cardigan thrown over. And don’t forget a nubby tweed! My picks:

Top Row: Calvin Klein Belted Sweater Dress, $118, www.nordstrom.com; Adore Dress, $98, www.guess.com.
Bottom Row: Collection Sharkskin Belted Shift Dress, $188, www.lizclaiborne.com; Tahari by ASL Belted Wrap-Style Dress, $128, www.macys.com.
Rock ’em with some stiletto boots or spectator booties with tights. You’re good to go!

Next up, in an e-mail titled, “Show the big girls some love” reader Pamela says, “Im a full figured size 20/22 very attractive and professional young lady living in the ATL… I’m shaped kinda like a pear/apple (lol) with a somewhat undefined waist ( I have attached photos of myself for you to judge, I’m the first one, in yellow)…”

“I already know about the empire waist tops and dresses along with A-line cut skirts, dark boot cut denim and wide leg trousers. I shop Lane Bryant and some times Torrid but a big girl gets no love you know that!!! With that being said, would you put together some variations of looks for the FASHIONABLE PLUS SIZE WOMAN not them big sheets..I’m talking about cute stuff which I know you have no problem doing. It would be greatly appreciated.”
Hey Pamela! I show big girls love! Not sure if you remember this post by Pretty Girl (another voluptuous reader), but she said:
“…I used to work at Macy’s and I couldn’t believe how many figure flattering pieces I found there, I still shop there especially during their sales and Christmas season. If you are on a budget then places like JCPenney (Bisou-Bisou line comes in plus sizes and is super stylish and affordable), Old Navy, Ashley Stewart, The Gap and Bitten (at Steve and Barry’s) by SJP are great options. If you can basically spend what you want on clothing then we big girls really have options. There’s Monif C, who is mostly know for her convertible dress that can be worn 22 different ways, Curvation by Queen Latifah, Size Appeal, Igigi, A-light, Kiyonna, Curvety, Sosienna, and Torrid. You can find all these boutiques online and some have brick and mortar locations…”
Out of all the sites she mentioned, I feel that Monif.C (www.monifc.com), while expensive, has some of the most fashionable looks for plus sized divas:

From pretty printed tops to mini dresses and club ready show stoppers, they’ve got you covered! If their prices are too steep, I also found the following:

Top Row: Bisou Bisou® Print Wrap Dress, $50, www.jcpenney.com; INC International Concepts® Woman Scoop-Neck Baby-Doll Dress, $99, www.macys.com.
Bottom Row: Suzette Wrap Top in Brown, $29, www.igigi.com; MICHAEL Michael Kors Houndstooth Swing Jacket, $170, www.nordstrom.com.
Hope that works for you!

Lastly Monica was interested in knowing the designers of dresses a few TFB readers wore at the white party:

So if you’re reading, write on in!
Smootches!
PS Have *great* long weekends!

Hey Guys,
So…notice anything different???
Do you like??
An anniversary is a special event, and you know I had to celebrate in style! The Fashion Bomb is all grown up, so I figured I’d ditch the pink, go for a fresh white, and a whole new layout. What do you think??
And this is only the beginning of the anniversary surprises. Stay tuned for a hot, hot contest featuring products from several Fashion Bomb featured designers, and my next event: An Anniversary/Fashion week party slated for September 8th. Get ready, it’s gonna be hot!
So the past year has been a lot of fun, and there’s a ton of stuff I enjoy doing for the Fashion Bomb. Every day this week, I’m going to highlight one, and today, I must shine a spotlight on:
Real Style


I love hitting the streets or patrolling the crowd for fabulous fashionable people, and New York City never disappoints! Taking pix of stylish strangers wasn’t always easy. In one of my very first ‘Mail Bomb’ posts dated December 13th, 2006, I have the following:
**********************
Diamond and Nini ask:
“Do you just stop people and say ‘excuse me, do you mind if i take a pic of you and put it on my blog?”
and
“Yeah, how do you approach them? Because so many times i wanna take pix of people rockin kewl clothes, but I dont wanna offend them even though its for something positive…”

To be honest, asking random people on the street is totally nerve wracking. I never know how people will react, if they’ll be really stank, or what! But, because I know it adds to the blog, I suck it up and do it (all for you guys!). Most times I just ask my coworkers, but now, I have a 15 second spiel that goes,”HimynameisClaireandI’mafashionjournalist,Ihaveablogcalledthe FashionBombwhereItalkabouttrendsandfashionandIthinkyou lookgreatwouldyoumindifItakeapictureofyou??” Usually they say “What?” and I slow down and repeat myself:) I have cute pink cards with the name of the blog on it for added legitimacy…and thankfully every one I’ve asked has been sweet enough to say yes! I mean, I figure if someone came up to me telling me I looked fabulous, I’d be happy to take a picture as well:)
********************************
Thankfully, taking pictures is a lot less awkward these days. I noticed that everyone wants to feel flattered, stylish, and beautiful…as if their efforts in the morning are actually appreciated by someone else. So Real Style is a bit of a cinch…and I want to say “Thank you” to everyone who’s posed and put their heads on the chopping block. You’re the bomb!
So that does it for today; hope you like the new look.
And you *must* tune in for the contest. It’s gonna be so dope.
Smootches!