Hey!
So last week my homeboy tipped me off to a party thrown by Mass Appeal (www.massappealmag.com), an urban, streetwear magazine straight outta NYC. The night promised performances by underground rappers K.i.D. CuDi and Killer Mik…not one to shy away from cool events, I dropped in…

The venue was packed with what I’ll dub the ‘hip-hop underground‘ set. And while I honestly was just looking to chill, the style sleuth in me couldn’t help but snap a couple pictures:

These young men looked retro cool in a kelly green cardigan on the left and colorful t-shirt on the right. You may not be able to see but the t-shirt sporting young man has golds on the bottom. Another shot:

…a splash of ghetto with more fabulous sunglasses. Another note: Glasses–whether prescription or made for the sun–seemed to the one ubiquitous accessory noone….
…left home without.  I stopped these two because of their quirky steeze. B-boy on the left brings the eighties back in a v-neck t, leather jacket and dookie chain, while homegirl embraces nerd chic in large librarian glasses offset by a trendy striped top, hoodie, and skirt with tights.
So what do you think?

Hey!
It’s Friday! Yippee! And it seems the weather is finally improving. I’m gonna go out and try to catch some sun…

Let’s not delay.
First reader Fatema loved Rihanna’s look recently…
She says, “I was hoping you could help me locate her hooded dress or something similar.“
Rihanna’s wearing this Long Terry Jacket from Armani Exchange…
…and lucky you, it’s on sale for $59! Hurry up and buy!
Nina wrote in gushing over Meagan Good’s look…
…she says, “Do you know where I can get the same Nike top?“
You’ll have to use a bit of ingenuity. It looks like Meagan got busy with a pair of scissors on vintage Nike tops like these…

Nike Cropped Tee, $42, www.urbn.com; Nike Blazing Bundle Tee, $25, www.nike.com.
To get an off the shoulders look, you’ll have to cut out the neckline. Good luck!

Dawn from Michigan was feeling Christine Tegan (John Legend’s boo’s) look… She says, “My birthday’s coming up and I need something similar!“
I felt that this BCBG Silk Organza Strapless Dress came close…

…get it for $360 at www.macys.com.
Next a reader who calls herself “Mamita es Buena” e-mailed me the following request:
“I’M LOVING THIS CALVIN KLEIN BLACK SATIN JUMPSUIT, BUT SINCE IT WAS BACK IN 2005, I KNOW MY CHANCES OF FINDING THEM ARE SLIM TO NONE …”
“I WAS WONDERING IF YOU KNEW OF ANYTHING SIMILAR LOOKING OUT THERE … THANK YOU :-)”
Alright, well I did a quick search and found this Orthodox Christine Jumper…
…get it for $244 at www.revolveclothing.com.
Now for just a few wardrobe queries:
Reader Alisha says, “I am a plus sized diva going to the Bahamas this summer. I was wondering if you could help me with some fun looks for my days in the sun.“
No problem!
Go with the following to get started:
Top Row: Jones New York Signature Woman Zebra Print Tunic, $75, www.macys.com; Marilyn Convertible Dress, $195, www.monifc.com; Black and White Geo Print Halter Swim Top, $48, www.torrid.com.
Bottom Row: Merona Swim Dress, $40, www.target.com; Maiya Salon Z Cybil Silk Dress, $440, www.saks.com; Black Yellow and Purple Floral Smocked Tube Dress, $68, www.torrid.com.
There are plenty of plus sized websites out there carrying very cute clothes, perfect for the Bahamian weather. For pointers, check out my Archived Posts on Plus Sized Items.
Lastly Erin says, “I recently landed my dream internship of interning for my congressman in Washington DC this summer(!!!!!) and have no idea what to wear. I’m not sure, but I know I am on a budget. Can you help me?“
Of course! And congrats!

On Capitol Hill conservative is the rule, so go for pieces in muted colors. Buy a few sheath dresses, and a skirt and pantsuit…mix and match the rest with inexpensive tops:
Top Row: Belted Sheath Dress, $79, www.anntaylorloft.com; Calvin Klein Classic Crepe Suit, $224, www.macys.com; Ben Sherman Dunnaway Dress, $100, www.urbn.com.
Bottom Row: Poplin Ruffle Blouse, $58, www.ardenb.com; Belted Pencil Skirt, $20, www.forever21.com; Bella Polka Dot Blouse, $32, www.fredflare.com.
For more tips on what to wear in work situations, check out my Work Wardrobe Posts.
Think that does it.
Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*Check me out in Marc Jacob’s MySpace Album!!! Ha!
*Also, an article about the Fashion Bomb in Howard University’s Hilltop Newspaper. [The Hilltop Online]

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….