Happy Thursday!
So for this week’s Style File, I decided to feature model extraordinaire…

…Liya Kebede.
Hailing from Ethiopia, this stunning 28 year old has quietly commanded the attention of the fashion world since her first Gucci show for Tom Ford in 2000.
When she’s not stomping the runway for bold faced names like Diane Von Furstenberg, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein….
You can catch her dominating national ad campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton, Estee Lauder, Tiffany & Co, and Lord & Taylor…

…and gracing the covers and spreads of the world’s hottest magazines…

Off the job she still manages to pull off a chic style, favoring dresses in neutral black or white…
Frothy fabrics of plum, peach, or an eye catching metallic…
…with the occasional print thrown in, just for good measure….
She keeps it super simple when casual, opting for blazers of leather or wool over a fitted top with pants…
Stunningly chic!
To get a Liya dress look go for the following:
Top Row: Diane Von Furstenberg Black Silk Gold Burnout Dress, $219, www.bluefly.com; Laila Azhar Tulip Dress, $149, shopbop.com
Bottom Row: Marc by Marc Jacobs Striped Dress, $244, www.neimanmarcus.com; Milly Tab Jumper, $135, www.tobi.com.
For her casual steeze, go with these:
Left to Right: Maria Bonita Extra Jacket, $259, www.tobi.com; Striped Knit Top, $29, www.rampage.com; Julia High Waisted Capris, $79, www.guess.com.

Now, for the contest winner!
The third place T will be by Jaja, who has captured all of your hearts and minds with her provocative, eye-catching design. As a prize, Jaja will get the following looks from a new streetwear brand, Naketano (www.naketano.de)…
…a line of cute, colorful cotton dresses, sweatshirts, and tops from Germany. I personally love the sweatshirts, and might cop one in a sec. Though prices are in Euros, I found out they do ship to the US.

Congrats Jaja!

As for you guys, t-shirts are moving at a surprisingly SLOW pace, so I’m giving some of you local girls an extra incentive: The next 5 orders placed will get $20 off a spa treatment anywhere in NYC care of www.lifebooker.com! Yay!

Get your shop on at www.fashionisthebomb.com.

A small sacrifice for urban fashion!

Smootches!

*See more of Liya’s work at www.liyakebede.com. She’s the bomb.
*Did anyone else catch Puffy’s “If I Were King” nonsense on MTV last night??
I sat through it for about…half an hour before I got tired of him screaming for “more leathers” and “more colors” while his real designers trudged around the world to actually design the clothes. By 10:32 I had flipped to Judge Judy, though my buddy texted me saying that he made some great statements about the lack of ethnic models in fashion. Anyone care to share?

*Last night I made way down to the opening of a new boutique called Shane & Shawn…

…a men and women’s shoe store located at 238 Mulberry Street.
I pushed my way into the jampacked space…
…and was blown away by the hot stiletto’s and flats…
…aside from being super cute and sassy, I checked the prices…and at $200 they tread the line between exorbitant and affordable.
I quickly made friends with resident celebrity DJ’s Nina Sky…
…they were so cute sporting Armani and private label dresses! Of course I had to snap a pic for you guys…
…And yes I am wearing my red leather motorcycle jacket! See, I practice what I preach!
Anyway, if you’re ever in NYC, check out Shane & Shawn at 238 Mulberry between Prince & Spring. Tell ’em I sent ya!
*Thanks Mindy and Genevieve!
*Check out more Shane & Shawn party pictures at the Men’s Style Blog Haute Concept. [Haute Concept]
*Fashion Bomb friend and fellow blogger Najwa Moses of the website Styleaholics.com has also come out with some Swag of her own:

Hey My Damies!
So believe it or not it took me all weekend to recover from the excitement of the Murakami Gala opening! It was absolutely amazing to meet and mingle with the fashionable set right in my backyard. I was *thrilled*. I didn’t get much time to go out and capture Real Style, but you guys always come through! Today, check out Shariba from Silver Spring, Maryland…

She says, “Here’s an example of my personal style. Please tell me what you think honestly!!“
I love the shirtdress mixed with your designer clutch, and your bold white boots are quite the chic choice. The dark sunglasses only amplify your outfit.
Two snaps!
What do y’all think?
Smootches!

*A lot of you were like, “Claire how was the rest of the Murakami event? Did you go to the exhibit?” Yes, of course, aside from chatting with Marc Jacobs, I took a twirl around the exhibit itself!
The night started off with a press junket, and the backyard of the museum was set to look like typical Chinatown street stalls selling fake Louis V bags…
…while the bags were made to look fake, everyone working there insisted they were real. Honestly, at first glance, I couldn’t tell the difference! As we’ve discussed, I’m no stranger to China, Chinatown, or fakes (though I’ve reformed!), but when I first took a look around, I said to myself, “If you can get a great looking fake, why shell out the dough???” Chairman and chief executive of Louis Vutton Yves Carcelle spoke a bit about the display…
…he talked about the importance of protecting intellectual property. To be honest, I sympathize. Once you’re in the creative realm and start working hard to maintain a product, it really sucks when someone comes around and straight up steals your work, words, or designs. Can you imagine if someone launched a site called “The Fashion Explosion” and basically did the same thing I did?!? Or reproduced my posts (it’s happened before).  It’s infuriating! But then again, if I were loony enough to charge y’all $1,000 to log on, wouldn’t I be asking to get ‘knocked off?’

The debate rages on.

Moving to the exhibit…
…it’s pretty dope.  Not sure if you know this, but Murakami designed Kanye West’s album cover…
..and a lot of his artistry reflects the same kind of space age, cartoon feel, but with a funny edge:
…lots of emphasis on eyes, mushrooms, and flowers, all painted in almost psychadelic pastel colors. It’s grown up art for the kids at heart.
A must see! Check out more pictures (including my dress!) on the Fashion Bomb’s Facebook group. And join if ya haven’t already! If you have extra click time, also become a fan of the Fashion Bomb’s less maintained facebook fansite🙂
*Reminisce on my post about fake bags. Hilarity indeed!

*Yo, Guy Trebay of the New York Times was also in the house…
…click here to read his take. [NYTimes]

 So last night I made my way to the Murakami opening gala at the Brooklyn Museum. I live *really* close to the venue, so basically there’s no way it was going to happen without yours truly in the house….

It was a pretty cool event, full to the brim with Francophiles and the requisite Japanese socialites. I had to snippy snap a few pix:
Marc Jacobs loves the Fashion Bomb…
So does Kanye (who performed!)….he was the sweetest man, even though this picture makes him look sad…
And I had to take a picture with man of the hour, Takashi Murakami. We know of him for his rainbow colored Louis Vuitton bags, but he’s so much more than that. I hope all of you check out his exhibit in my backyard, the Brooklyn Museum. He’s so so so dope.
Um. That does it!
I’m gonna rest up for the weekend:) I’m a mess.
Smootches!

Hey!
So today, I bring you guys yet another ‘Breaking into Fashion‘ post!
A few weeks ago, reader Kori wrote in saying, “Can you elaborate more on finding out about Fashion Event Planning or Promotions?“
Immediately, I thought of my good friend, Joresa Blount:

…a UNC graduate who does event planning and management for Tribeca Grand and Soho Grand Hotels in NYC…
Working behind the scenes in a pair of fresh to death sky high stilettos, Joresa speaks to clients, draws floorplans, schedules staff, buys supplies, and sets up spaces for events ranging from movie premieres studded with stars like Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Marc Jacobs to screenings of the finales of Project Runway.
She took a quick moment out of her busy schedule to tell all your aspiring event planners how to break into the system.
She says, “ I became involved in event planning/management when I took an internship at the Soho/Tribeca Grand Hotels. You need hands on experience to get a job in this industry, so an internship is key….”
Agness Deyn at Tribeca Grand Event
On a day to day basis, Joresa juggles quite a bit. “For fashion events, I have to deal with florists, lighting, sound, and event producers who help you come up with a concept and execute. It’s a huge production for something that can last about 20 minutes. That means the pressure is up for everything to be perfect!“
Rachel Roy, Damon Dash, Madonna, and Guy Ritchie at screening at Tribeca Grand
While partying with Marc Jacobs is cool, she admits, “The hours vary week to week, and can be extremely long.” Still, she says, “I get instant satisfaction from a job well done. It’s nice to know when your guest has had an amazing time because their event was flawless.” She adds, “Plus the gift bags are always great!“
Zoe Kravitz at recent Tribeca Grand Event
To be an event planner, you must be, “ detail oriented, a good listener, and someone who can make quick, sound decisions under pressure. Creativity doesn’t hurt!”
Also, “Make sure you look fabulous. It’s definitely an industry where looks are important!” she says, “Yes, it gets hard to run around in 4″ heels, but you got to do it. This is what makes things look glamorous!“
Alright! Any future event planners in the house?
Smootches!

*Oh no, not again! Naomi Campbell was arrested at Heathrow airport today for allegedly spitting at an officer. Will this girl ever learn??? [Breitbart]
*H&M announces Commme des Garcons as their next designer line. [NYMag]
*Even in fashion, noone’s job is safe. [NYTimes]
*Have you taken time today….

Hey!
So striped garments have been around since the first French sailor donned a navy blue and white combo on the seas of the Riviera. The nautical look is still de rigeur these days, popping up in multicolored variations on some of our favorite celebrities:
Keyshia Cole looks patriotic in a red, white, and blue striped top with jeans…

Amerie goes sassy in a green striped summer ready dress….
Pre baby J.Lo shines in a chevron striped trapeze dress worn with boots…
And around the way girl Mary J goes traditional with a horizontal striped turtleneck with jeans and fur trimmed boots…
While you can’t go wrong in most occasions, I’d advise against wearing striped tops and bottoms together…
…though with enough pinache, you can pull anything off!
Gain your stripes with the following tops:
Top Row: Sailor Sweater, $18, www.laredoute.com; Wesc Pia Drawstring T, $95, www.urbn.com.
Bottom Row: Tommy Hilfiger Striped Crewneck Sweater, $54.50, www.macys.com; Butterfly Tee in Pearl, $79, CoutureCandy
Go flirty in these affordable dresses:

If you’re a bit more tame, go with these accessories…
Top Row: Metallic Stripe Scarf, $9, www.forever21.com; LAMB Trenchtown Manchester Clutch, $395, www.nordstrom.com.
Bottom Row: Carlos by Carlos Santana Casino Pump, $99, www.macys.com; Million of Smiles Striped Scarf, $125, shopbop.com
Smootches!

So Danity Kane has been blowing up lately with their album release and the finale of ‘Making the Band.’ With tons of recent group appearances, I figured….what better time to take a look at their style?

The girls go for seasonal orange and cream cocktails for their album release party in Las Vegas…

…then worked the short hems yet again in rainbow colored dresses of frothy pink, yellow, black and coral for their NYC album release…
…they shine in all white for a TRL appearance….
…and stick with the monochromatic look with S&M inspired black gear for another appearance at TRL…
While most occasions call for a club appropriate look, these girls can mix it up, opting for more casual duds of leather jackets, floral print tops, denim, and track jackets for a signing at Best Buy…

Get Super Saucy in these all black beauts:
Top Row: Crisscross Dress, $91, www.bebe.com; La Befana Black Jersey Tie Neck Top, $80, www.bluefly.com.