Reader Alyssa wanted the inside scoop on Fashion Week.

She asks, “I was wondering if u can help me, I wanna go to fashion week, but I

dont have any tix, Can I pay at the door…do you know? Please help me.”

Hello my lovelies!
So as you probably know, New York Fashion Week starts tomorrow!

Fashionistas from all over the country will convene to view the Fall 2008 collections of designers from Diane von Furstenberg to Herve Leger. It’s an exciting time for the Fashion Bomb, as I’ll be in the house delivering Real Style, pictures, and interviews.

My eyes immediately settled on this vintage Chanel inspired tweed jacket…
…with a great stand up collar and a short style that was mildly reminiscent of Victoria Beckham’s jacket from the Roland Mouret show.
I tried it on…
…and it was a little tight, but for $30, it was definitely a steal! I reasoned I could perhaps get it let out at my trusty tailor. If anything, I’d wear it unbuttoned over a sleeveless dress for shows, then gift it to one of my grubby sisters!
Running tally: $30.
I had a meeting in the city, so I raced off to the East Village where I wandered into a French Connection (700 Broadway at West 4th Street)…
…I was lured in by their promise of 60% off their fashionable wares.

I grabbed *way* too much stuff, and made my way into the dressing room. Turns out all the items were an extra 50% off their sale prices, so dresses normally $200 were marked down to $60-$70–definitely within my budget!
I tried on this wine colored number…
…and though I thought it could maybe work with tights, I felt it was too short and night clubby for an aspiring fashion editor like myself.
This sweater dress was only $70 (marked down from $200)…
…and with a white collared shirt underneath, it could look smart, professional and appropriate. I liked it a lot, but still wasn’t convinced.
Then I tried on a wild card, a winter white coat with a stunning fur collar ( I thought for sure it was misplaced on the sale rack). Still, I tried it on…..and was sold! As a sidenote, a little bit of fur is the rule, not the exception for editors. Take Andre Leon Talley, par example…
…fur is just an accent, but it’s there. I looked at the tag on my winter white wonder and realized it was only $140 (marked down from $378). Not under $100, but a deal nonetheless, and within my overall $200 budget. It was mine.
Running tally: $170.
With only $30 left, I figured I couldn’t really get much. Shoes of quality were out of the option, as were most bags. Walking around 5th Avenue the following day, I came upon Zara (659 Fifth Avenue at 54th street)…
… the perfect place to find affordable yet chic clothes. They advertised a 50% off sale, so I stopped in…
…and it turns out they, too, were slashing everything. I quickly found a rack full of editor-esque dresses for only $30!
I tried on a few…
…but was unimpressed until I tried this one on…
… a slate gray cowl neck sheath, also reminiscent of Madame Beckham. The dress was a little big, but with a belt…
… it worked! And if anything, I could get it tailored in time for the big week!
I ran to the register with my $30, and that’s all she wrote!
Total: $200.
So let’s review: I purchased a tweed jacket, sheath dress, and a knee-length wool coat for only $200. And the colors are neutral, so they’ll fit seamlessly into my wardrobe.
Here’s to fashion on a budget!
Now, on to the tents…
Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*FYI: I visited my tailor, and it turns out the jacket could not be let out, but the dress could be taken in…for $35! Ok so tailoring costs more than the dress, but I’m sure that that $65 will probably look like $300! And lesson learned: it’s easier to take things in than to let them out. If you must buy the wrong size, make sure it’s too big, not too small.
*On my fashion plate tomorrow: BCBG Max Azria, Erin Fetherston and Baby Phat! Stay tuned for updates:)
*Fashion Bomb Friend Tia Williams…
… is featured in a New York Times article on Beauty Bloggers! If you haven’t yet, check out her dope blog, Shake your Beauty. It’s all about makeup for brown skinned babes! Think ‘The Beauty Bomb.’
*Another newspaper looks at the absence of color on the runway. [Newsday]
*According to Ruth La Ferla, fashion will harken back to the 50’s and 60’s in Fall shows:
A quote, “Fashion is supposed to be about change,”said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with NPD Group, a market research firm,”[Once a standard bearer of the vanguard], fashion has become the most conservative of all industries.”[NYTimes]

Happy Wednesday!
So as you may know, I love the color yellow!
And while pale yellow is the perfect summer go to–complementing many skin tones and brightening up any look–the winter calls for a richer, deeper shade that I’ll call marigold.
The color–a mixture of yellow, gold, and mustard–has been popping up on celebrities of late, whether on the red carpet or out and about.
Let’s take a look:
Beauties Vanessa Williams and Rachel Roy both literally light up formal events in strapless deep yellow frocks….

and Kim Kardashian….
…make the look club ready in thigh skimming, body clinging dresses.

The look can be adapted for work by throwing on a fitted jacket like Vanessa Simmons…
…or winterized with a long wool jacket, a la Meagan Good…
..it’s a good look.
Brighten up your winter wardrobe with the following ‘Marigold’ items:
Click to Enlarge
Top Row: Diane von Furstenberg Quincy Knit Shirtdress, $365, www.saks.com; Gryphon Tank Dress, $128, www.anthropologie.com; City Suede Ballet Flats, $125, www.jcrew.com.
MIddle Row: Malene Berger Sloane Pleated Top, $141, www.net-a-porter.com.
Bottom Row: Lady Jacket, $37.80, www.forever21.com; J.Crew Cherbourg Coat, $275, 1-800-562-0258; AKA New York Pintucked Dress, $200, www.activeendeavors.com.

Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*Tip: Marigold Looks Great with Plum. Use the following high brow accessories as inspiration:

Left to Right: Christian Louboutin Lapono Shoe Boots, $775, www.net-a-porter.com; Marc Jacobs Mariah Bag, $945, www.net-a-porter.com.

*Deal of the Day:

…Burberry Kate drop-waist dress, $626 from $895, www.net-a-porter.com. Not much of a ‘deal’, but hey, it’s on sale!
*Fashion Blogs highlight Real Style. Why didn’t they feature the Fashion Bomb?!?! [Newsweek]
*I love this stuff…

Miss Jessies is offering a two for one deal on all their fabulous hair products for Valentine’s Day (Feb 1-14)! Now that’s a deal. Visit www.missjessies.com for more information.

Hey!
So for most women, pregnancy is a time when they feel less than their best. Their waistline has expanded wildly, everything is a bit swollen, and let’s be honest: it’s usually not prime time for cuteness. The ever beautiful Halle Berry, however…

…bunks tradition and manages to make pregnancy look chic by wearing outfits that complement her body while maintaining her sexy.

…accented with stiletto’s or boots in black leather.

Click to Enlarge

Top Row:Notice Maternity Cap Sleeve Wrap Dress, $52, www.nordstrom.com; Marc by Marc Jacobs Two Toned Sunglasses, $95, shopbop.com
Empire Waist Tank Dress, $49.50, www.gap.com.

Happy Monday!
So last week, I went to a ‘Behind the Scenes’ shoot for a new online magazine, UnVogue (www.unvogue.com):

It was created by stylist Tyson P….
…and is self professedly ‘not your grandma’s magazine.’ An excerpt from the Editor’s Letter, “[UNVOGUE] is a magazine that realizes that its readers are of many races, sizes, colors, religions, economic backgrounds, and that they too would LOVE to see themselves represented in the pages they dash out to purchase…it was created to put the fun back into fashion…and never take fashion too seriously!” Sign me up!
The shoot was definitely fun, and tons of cute accessories and racks were everywhere….
…it was a shopaholic’s heaven brimming with items both high and low, and from designers ranging from Dolce & Gabbana and Tracy Reese to Isaac for Target and Old Navy.
I had to take a picture of one of the models present, who was artfully styled by Tyson…
…I loved the bold colors, and the way her bright green clutch played off the hot pink in the belt; her pale yellow turtleneck nicely complemented her skin tone. Her crisp twill jacket made me yearn for the warm temps of spring.
So tell me…what do you think of Unvogue’s style?
Smootches!

It is….drumroll….

Najah from Washington DC…
….who correctly found that Gabby’s green dress…
…was none other than this very affordable $120 Sky Mini Rock Rope Halter…
And that Beyonce’s Bag is in the same collection as this Fendi Large Selleria bag..
…available for $2,130 at www.mytheresa.com (also at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, etc).
About her win, Najah says, “Oh wow, yay! I never win anything! Those are great prizes. And now I’ve got an excuse to plan another trip to NY!“
Congrats!

And I must give a special shout out to everyone who participated! Y’all pulled out all the stops…from saying that your birthday was coming up to actually contacting Gabrielle Union’s publicist (the publicist had no idea. She was probably like, “The Fashion Bomb, what?“). Anyway, you’re great! Looks like I’ll need to have these contests more often…

*Deal of the Day:

La Rok Palm Tree Top in Cream, $103 from $187, www.labelspree.com.
*Kimora discusses her relationship with Djimon Honsou. [Harper’s Bazaar]

Hey!

The second talk, at the New York Public Library…
…was open to the public, and was therefore packed to the brim with about 200 people, including the utterly talented designer Tracy Reese…

…and writer Michaela Angela Davis.
The third, last night, had the biggest showing yet…
…about 275 designers, editors, journalists, models, and model agents packed into the Bowery Hotel to rally for the cause.
The numbers are slowly starting to grow, signaling a real movement. Instead of this issue being talked about then swept under the rug, Bethann is making it a point to mobilize, get answers, and hold people accountable. I can’t tell you how many representatives from modeling agencies, as well as stylists and designers stood up to defend their practices, or promise to do better (The creative director of Ford Models was there, as well as the head of the North American division of Elite, who offered $1,000 to sponsor the next forum).

An interesting note: Andre Leon Talley wrote in from campaigning for Barack in Chicago to say, “This struggle is so important to all of us on so many levels…We must continue to dialogue, as a change we can believe in has to happen.” Andre, whose New Years fashion resolution was to, “order custom Charvet tennis picque shorts and silk kneesocks the color of clotted cream,” is down for the cause (and for Barack)? Really? Well, it’s good to know that he’s behind this. Hopefully he can start rocking the boat a bit with his buddy Anna over at Vogue–but let’s hope he doesn’t fall out!

So the talk got underway, and a few fashion models took the stage…
…to voice their concerns. It seemed as if every model had the same exact story: They have a look and an amazing portfolio, go to modeling agencies seeking work, but are told that the agency already has ‘one black girl’ and they don’t need another.

Damon Dash also rolled through with Jim Jones….
..and talked about the importance of mentoring in the industry (I think he put it as ‘We need to watch each other’s backs‘). Good point. It seemed as if representatives from every facet of the industry were there. If we all made it a point to bestow a bit of knowledge on each other, reach up instead of pulling down, we could move the issue forward at a heightened pace.

While a ‘conclusion’ was not reached, this talk won’t be the last. Bethann promises to continue having these to let people air their grievances (I have a few…), and motivate until something concrete is accomplished (i.e. more ethnic models on catwalks, more designers of color, more editors of color, more diversity in the fashion industry as a whole).

With Fashion Week about a week away, it’s going to be interesting to ONCE AGAIN see if diversity has increased on the catwalks (and in the tents). I’ll keep an eye peeled!

Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*On a related note, Fashion Bomb reader Leigh recently wrote me the following, “I am currently a student in Pennsylvania but I’ll be moving back to NYC in May. Do you know of any modeling agencies that are friendly to African American women? It would be great to get a few modeling jobs to help pay expensive NYC bills. I am not runway thin by any means, but print work or agencies looking for thin and athletic women would be the most helpful. Even if you do not know any agencies I still appreciate your time and effort.” From last night’s talk, Leigh, your prospects are looking quite dim, but reps from Elite and Ford were there, so try knocking on their doors. Anyone else have any pointers?

*Want to recap? Read about the first meeting here, and the second meeting here. Don’t know Bethann? Read my post about her here.

*For the next one, I’ll make sure to post the invite so that every single one of you in New York can come (we can have a Fashion Bomb contingent!).
*Valentino…
…waves goodbye to the Fashion World [Reuters]
*Luxury Labels hit in the Pocketbook [Wall Street Journal–Subscription]
*Cathy Horyn…
…on the Chanel Show. [NYTimes]

…this self described ‘Retro Kid’ reminded me of the good old days when I obsessed over Bobby Brown, the Boyz, and Al B Sure…

He was rocking the slanted high top fade with a blonde streak, a bright colored jacket, patchworked jeans, and Nike high tops (oops, just noticed the Africa medallion!).
The 80’s are coming back, but are we down for it?
Smootches!

*So I was indulgently digging into my February issue of Vogue…

…and who should pop up on one of the very last pages, but one of our favorite black socialites…
…Genevieve Jones!!!
She’s featured in a spread lauding “Three Jewelry Stars on the Rise.” So Madame Jones is now a jewelry designer??? I thought she was an interior decorator…or a muse…or something. Anyway, her pieces–encrusted with topaz, sapphires, and diamonds–retail for $895-$5,000 and are inspired by ethereal, whimsical ideas like “spirals, stars, and UFO’s.” Sure….I guess we all gotta eat, right? Click image to see her creations in all their glory.
*Don’t know Genevieve Jones? Read my Style File on her here.
*Deal of the Day:

…Kate Spade Beige Snake Printed Leather Garden D’orsay Pumps, $137 from $255, www.bluefly.com.