Salehe Bembury’s recent shopping excursion in Beverly Hills turned into an unsettling stop and frisk situation, and an instance of what he calls, “Beverly Hills while Black.”
The Vice President of Sneakers and Men’s Footwear for Versace hit Rodeo Drive to stop by the Amiri store, then also popped by the Versace store to, “grab a few things.” What followed were police abruptly stopping him for jaywalking (crossing the street outside of the designated crosswalks), and a search before letting him go.
While Bembury admits to jay walking, he said (via his Instastory), “I’m from New York, I’m used to jay walking, my apologies,” the police’s conduct skewed discriminatory (the normal procedure is a fine, not a search and frisk). He also presumed that his big Versace bag was to blame for him appearing suspect to the cops. He said, “I’m getting searched for shopping at the store I work for.”
Racial profiling is nothing new. People of color have all experienced the feeling of being followed by security or presumed of stealing in luxury stores (remember all those instances at Barneys?). But LA based reader Nakia aka @TheNotorious_Kia offered the following insight: “I was on Rodeo Drive on Monday. A guy walked up to the Louis Vuitton store line smoking a whole blunt talking ignorant as hell. I’m a black woman from LA and I was so embarrassed!! And that was just one of “them”. Rodeo Drive looks like a swap meet! I love my people but they are over there being ghetto as HELL! It’s okay to be authentic but we know the difference between that and just acting ignorant for no reason. What happened to this man wasn’t right but there’s a backstory. I know you guys have heard of the younger black men going in the stores with multiple EDD cards trying to buy Gucci and stuff. Sometimes we ruin it for ourselves. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing the other day. And that was on a Monday!“
Recent riots and fraud activity might have stores on high alert. Still, it’s a complete shame and utterly deplorable that an executive at a luxury fashion company would be stopped and searched. But as @MontagePR said on Instagram, “This shows [that] affluence and position matters not at the end of the day. SMDH. #ThisisAmerica.”
*Donatella Versace responded to the incident on Instagram, writing, “I am appalled this happened to Salehe Bembury today. He has been a consultant at Versace for a long time and the behavior he experienced is totally unacceptable. He was stopped on the street solely for the color of his skin. Stay strong @salehebembury. Sending you love and support x”
*Congrats to Bembury on his position. May you continue to flourish and thrive, despite adversity.
Pearl symbolizes elegance, grace, and opulence in its lustrous beauty. For centuries, this organic gemstone has impressed the royalty and has been favored as a precious jewel. Even in the modern times, pearl jewelry has a distinctive reputation of being beautiful and affordable. With changing preferences of the millennial couples, pearl engagement rings are also gaining momentum in gemstone markets.
Unlike the traditional diamonds, this gemstone offers affordable options with breathtaking designs and amazing astrological values. Pearl instigates loyalty, love, serenity, and wisdom in its wearer. If you choose this engagement ring, your relationship will be strengthened by a deep resolve to maintain harmony and peace irrespective of any conflicts.
If you are still indecisive about choosing pearl rings for your engagement, here are some valid reasons that will dissolve your worries.
Amazing Beauty
The beauty of pearls is defined by its pristine luster and texture. Whether you choose Tahitian black pearls or an oyster pearl, they reflect light beautifully for sheen on their surface. The brilliance of this glow represents the beauty of pearls.
If a stone has brighter and sharper reflections, it commands higher pearl price as well. The luster is added by the thick nacre and it may differ for each pearl variety.
Deep Symbolism
Pearls are not only amazingly beautiful but they carry deep symbolism as well. Right from the creation of this gemstone to its carving into a stunning ring, it undergoes many miraculous stages of evolution. Pearl is created when an organic creature goes deeper into the soft tissues of a mollusk.
The mollusk layers this intruding creature with its nacre that adds luster and color to the resulting stone. This entire formation makes pearl a unique gemstone that carries rarity and charm. You can integrate its deep symbolism of acceptance, strength, and resilience into your relationship.
Immense Astrological Values
Every gemstone carries the unique powers and energy vibrations of a ruling planet. It transmutes into astrological benefits and healing abilities in its wearer’s life. If you choose pearl engagement rings, you can harness the cosmic vibration of the planet Moon.
Wearing pearl jewelry close to your skin can pacify the planetary movement in your birth charts and help you deal with the strong emotions of anger and depression. With this gemstone, you’ll regain your confidence and feel calm even in the most distressing situations.
The astrological benefits of pearl go beyond the feelings of calmness and tranquility, though. If your partner works in the creative fields of art or literature, pearl can help them in their pursuits.
Another ability that makes pearl an excellent option for engagement rings is its healing capacity. It provides relief from many water-borne diseases and keeps your circulatory system healthy. Some ancient texts also mention pearl’s ability to heal the skin and benefit the heart.
Rarity and Uniqueness
Since it’s almost improbable to predict the shape and size of peal produced in a mollusk, this gemstone carries unique rarity. Baroque stones with irregular shapes are easily found while perfectly round natural pearls are an extreme rarity. They undoubtedly fetch higher pearl price, especially if the stone has no dimples or crevices to mar its beauty. An even color and luster distribution makes these stones more valuable and coveted.
The beauty isn’t the only factor that makes pearls unique. This stone is an unconventional choice that can be avant-garde if you make the right choice. It can sustain regular wearing with proper care and end up as an heirloom for your family. The rare varieties of South Sea or Tahitian pearls fit these criteria.
If you wear any of these pearl engagement rings, people will appreciate your unique sense of style and complement you. However, you can be a bit experimental with the design and setting of the ring.
Many leading gemstone brands like GemPundit offer a wide variety of designs using baroque pearls in asymmetrical settings. Instead of choosing the traditional pattern of round pearl amid a band of diamonds, you can go for quirky shapes and designs. It will reflect your modern values and acceptance to new ideas.
Several Varieties to Choose
When buying your engagement ring, you crave for variety. Pearl offers a lot of it in its various colors and types. You can choose a stone that reflects your emotions and preferences in the most stunning manner. The choices are:
Freshwater Pearls
With a satiny luster and pastel natural colors, freshwater pearls are available at affordable prices. Instead of choosing whites, you can buy pearl engagement rings in shades of natural pink or lavender with sparkling luster.
Akoya Pearls
The deep color and shine of akoya pearls make them a unique variety. They are extracted from the Japanese farms and known for their pinkish overtones and immaculate sheen that results from a high refractive index.
South Sea Pearls
The exotic colors and silky luster of South Sea pearls never go unnoticed. This variety is nurtured in tropical lagoons of Australia and Philippine Islands. You can find exquisite South Sea pearls in the shades of gold and white, resplendent with a soft, shiny glow.
Tahitian Pearls
Tahitian variety from French Polynesia is known for their vibrant overtones and beautiful colors. You can buy Tahitian pearls in exquisite shades ranging from peacock blue to steel, aubergine, aquamarine, and silver. If you combine these hues with a unique palette of dove and dark charcoal gray colors, it becomes the most coveted gem variety.
Affordability
If you compare pearls with other traditional engagement ring choices like sapphires or diamonds, you will find a huge gap of prices. Pearls are available at a fraction of price you will pay for a diamond ring.
Even the best varieties of Tahitian or South Sea pearls won’t create a dent in your pocket. When you save more on pearl price, you can invest this money on a heavier band or extra gems surrounding the center stone.
Hence, pearl is a unique combination of beauty and resilience that makes a perfect foundation for your married life. You can choose this gemstone cautiously after checking all quality factors to make your purchase worthwhile.
Today our Fashion Bombshell is Lariqua from Colorado, check her out below.
She writes, “My name is Lariqua and I absolutely love your daily fashion content. Fashion is a form of art to me and I use my style to paint my personality. My style is bold, chic, & glam.
I love the attention to details and the accessories. What do you think of this bombshell’s style? Let us know.
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
All week long, Rihanna and her Savage X Fenty brand have been building the hype up for their highlight anticipated second annual fashion show. Pictures surfaced on the internet providing glimpses of the neon-lit show with appearances made by Bella Hadid, Indya Moore, Christian Combs and many more! Of course, we got peeks at Rihanna’s looks from the show and details on the bad gal’s looks:
Rihanna was spotted in $3,690 Vetements single breasted leather jacket (Fall 2020 Menswear) with Savage X Fenty fishnet garment.
Shop her Vetements single breasted leather jacket below:
Rihanna also wore a Alexandre Vauthier Fall/Winter 2020 Couture top and hot pants paired with Chrome Hearts jewelry and accessories along with Savage X Fenty garters and tights!
Maybe you and your girls are in need of nice dinner together full of laughs, catching-up, and style! If you have a dinner coming up with your gal pals where the group plans to get dressed up, you may be asking yourself: What am I going to wear for this girls’ dinner? No worries, we’ve got you covered!
Maybe you have too many ideas running through your head, but we’re here to help steer you in the right direction with some style inspiration curated by stylist @StyledByJovon_. Let’s explore this girls’ night out look below:
Marlo Hampton is always giving us major style moments wherever she goes! Just yesterday, we spotted her leaving the Gucci store in a pretty-in-pink Gucci ensemble. Let’s get into her bomb look:
Many of you had questions about a hoodie featured on a recent episode of @ghoststarz , including @martina.mel , who says, “Hi !! Are you able to find out who makes this hoodie? It was on power book 2: ghost episode 4.”
Rihanna wore Vanleles earrings while doing Fenty Beauty Press on September 24th in Los Angeles, California.
Rocking a head-to-toe monochromatic electric blue custom @muglerofficial look by @cadwallader , styled by @illjahjah , the beauty mogul topped off her look with $54,823 one-of-a-kind blue sapphire flower earrings by the African-British designer Vania Leles brand, Vanleles.
Her earrings have 5.12 cts -or Blue Sapphire, 2.86 cts of White Diamond, and 18K of White Gold.
Back in August, Italian-Black designer Stella Jean penned a letter and created a video that called out Milan Fashion Week and Nazionale della Moda Italiana (the Italian Chamber of Fashion) for the little inclusion of Black designers at fashion week, leading her to ask the question: Do Black lives matter in Italian fashion? As a result of the video which gained over 11,000 views, it was later announced that five Italian Black designers will show during Milan Fashion Week.
Stella Jean expressed, “To the Italian brands and the Italian magazines committed to saving the world from racial inequality while claiming total solidarity by posting black squares and supportive quips: I am aware that these creatives who have been at your doorsteps since a long time ago are probably not profitable at the media level, given they are part of the ‘Untold Made in Italy’, which is not quite glamorous enough for promotional usage. But they too deserve an opportunity free of opportunism…don’t you think?“
Today our Fashion Bombshell of the Day goes to Buky from Chicago, check her out below.
Buky writes, “My girly and fun style is showcased in creative doses utilizing props and colors.“
Her wardrobe consist of pieces that can be dressed up or worn casually. Head over to her Instagram account@beesxcloset to check out more of her personal style.
What so you think of this bombshell’s style?
Fashion Bombshell of the Day is a feature showcasing the singular style of Fashion Bomb Readers. Send your name, location, a description of your style, and 5-10 clear, unfiltered, head-to-toe pictures of 5-10 different outfits (no collages) to Bombshell@FashionBombDaily.com. Images submitted will be featured on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any of our social media platforms. Comments can be harsh, so bring your A game! Please be advised: once published, pictures will not be removed or taken down.
