Soulful songstress Tweet has reemerged onto the scene with a scintillating shoot, earmarked exclusively for Fashion Bomb Daily.
Styled by Dapper Afrika and shot by Marlon R, Tweet models gilded metallics, mixed prints, and fantastically adorned accessories.
Makeup artist Geisha Boii stuck to neutral eye makeup, with pops of color on the lips.
Though we are accustomed to seeing Tweet with longer tresses, hairstylist Derek J opted for a shorter cut, decorating the songstress with bangs and face framing curls.
With edits by @BySwayAmbrose and graphics by @BoyWithThePuff, the latest shoot for Fashion Bomb Daily offers a bold, colorful, and refreshing direction for Tweet.
We can’t wait to see what she does next!
What do you think?
This week we’re getting you prepared for fashion’s most glamorous time of the year. New York Fashion Week is this week and we’ve got you covered on all of the items that you’ll need! Get into the top pick on our list, the $118 Juicy Couture ‘Carry Me’ Bag:
This faux leather bag features a gold label design Juicy stamp on the front and a chic ‘J’ charm which adds extra accent to this stunner.
Priced at $118, this item is definitely a splurge, but well worth it.
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.
If you’ve been keeping up with our Black History Month series, you know that we’ve featured some of the best in the industry thus far. Today, we delve into the world of supermodel, Lineisy Montero.
This Dominican-born beauty is one of the most sought after models in the industry today. Why, you ask? Well, let’s get into it, so we can all get hip together. Shall we?
Raised by her mother and grandmother in Santo Domingo, Montero had devout aspirations of becoming a fashion designer; she idolized Dominican native designer, Oscar de La Renta, and Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana. Little did she know that she would one day walk their famous catwalks.
Lineisy, pronounced Lin-a-see, was scouted at an amusement park at the mere age of 14. It would be 4 years before her mother would allow her to sign, internationally. Her first debut, was for the Prada fashion house; however, there was something peculiar about this new kid on the block. Amongst a plethora of models, who donned slick ponytails, Lineisy was the only one who wore her-all natural-baby afro. In an industry where diversity is often questioned, this bold stance was immediately recognized, and soon Lineisy became the “catwalk queen”, making appearances for other fashion houses such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Chanel, and many more.
She tells Teen Vogue, “My hair has never been a question, it’s always been natural. I didn’t do anything special except walking in the shows. I see now that is a big thing for the fashion industry so I am of proud of it. If it changes the mentality in the business for models like me I would be very happy.”
In response to Montero’s AW15 debut, Elle UK’s fashion features director Kenya Hunt says, “The timing was just right for the fashion world to be ready to embrace a black woman with an afro. It was a transformative moment in that it gave the rest of fashion “permission” to fully embrace black beauty in all its variations. Certainly, black models such as Bethann Hardison in the 1970s and Roshumba Williams in the 1980s have made natural hair their trademark, but lately many black models have used extensions and chemical processes to attain a smooth, straight look. Montero’s progress has opened the door for others to adopt more natural styles”
Montero tells The Telegrah, “I’ve noticed a little positive change. Before, in fashion shows, all the models were blonde with straight hair, but now there are always two or three morenas [women with dark complexions] with natural hair. But there’s still a little way to go.”
She tells I-D she doesn’t know how long it will take for black hair to be the norm, “I hope it’s as soon as possible! Girls like me love shopping too and most of the time we don’t recognise ourselves in the campaigns.”
She continues to say how she plans to fight racial discrimination, “I will just continue to be myself. I want to exist and be recognized for my work and who I am, not only because of my hair or my skin color.”
Her mantra is, “I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me”
For more on this trailblazer, be sure to follow her on IG @lineisymontero
Happy Monday, Bombers and Bombshells!
This past Friday, I was blessed to be the keynote speaker at the first annual Superbold Conference, presented by Motions, Martini & Rossi, and Sam’s Club:
Marketing executive Nicole Coleman welcomed ambitious women and men to the St. Regis Hotel to fellowship, network, and honor women who have made bold moves in their careers.
Superbold Awards recipients included radio personality and TV host Devi Brown, Danita Jones, the Principal of Sean Combs’s Harlem Charter School, Samantha Selolwane, the Vice President of Promotion for RCA Records, Marketing Executive Tracey Jennings, and lawyer and entrepreneur Demetra Liggins. I was honored to be in such distinguished company!
For my keynote, I told of the lessons I’ve learned over the past 10 years as a journalist and digital influence. The key message surrounded perseverance, and continuing to push forward even when met with significant setbacks and adversity!
After giving my speech, I met Houston Bombshells and signed copies of the Bomb Life!
Houston Bombshells are about as fly as they come! I can’t wait to come back for Cocktails with Claire: Houston this summer!
Next stop on the Bomb Life Book Tour aka Conversations with Claire will be Philadelphia on March 19th.
I will update TheBombLife.com and @ClaireSulmers with info.
Smootches!
*Many thanks to Nicole Coleman for having me take part in such a wonderful event!
Today’s Fashion Bombshell is Michelle from London:
She writes, “My name is Michelle Hung, I’m from London, UK and work on advertising as a producer.”
More here:
Michelle, your style is simple and chic, I love that coat girl!
For more on today’s Bombshell, check out her Instagram @virgosandkisses.
What do you think?
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.
To continue our Black History Month series, where we are paying homage to those making waves behind the scenes, we got a chance to catch up with celebrity makeup artist, Ashunta Sheriff.
Ashunta has worked with clients such as, Taraji P. Henson, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Sanaa Lathan, and Tika Sumpter (just to name a few). With a roster of this caliber, we had to know how this girl from Harlem-who also has her own beauty line-got her start.
Sheriff describes herself as, “a nerdy black girl”, who attended boarding school and college on scholarship, and strived to excel in science and mathematics. She went on the complete a degree in cultural anthropology from Howard University.
Though she did not see a creative future for herself, Ashunta recalls watching her mother, an aspiring vocalist at the time, get prepped for shows, and remembers being fascinated by the glamour of it all. She would get in trouble for getting caught in her mother’s YSL make up case, time and time again.
Ashunta admits that she always had a knack for creativity; she was involved in dance, theatre, and much more. It was her religious lunch breaks at the MAC counter, that later made her give in to her creativity. With no professional experience, she decided to interview with MAC cosmetics, and soon declared herself a makeup artist.
She vividly remembers the moment she got her big break. It was when makeup artist, Stacy Gray, complimented her on her work, at an event, and asked for her business card. Weeks later, she received a 4:00am call from Stacy, asking if she was available to be on location within an hour and a half, to work a 112 video shoot. With little time to spare, Ashunta asked her mom to babysit her then 9 month old, and went on her way. She notes, “When you are trying to build, and trying to work and establish yourself as a hard worker, you need to always be readily available. So I would say, keep your phone ringer on and keep it by your pillow.”
Consequently, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was a fan of her work on the set, and she was contacted by his assistant to do his makeup for his appearance on the Regis and Kelly show. She had to borrow money from her mom, and then boyfriend, to purchase $1100 worth of product for the gig. From there, she began to be consistently booked, and the rest was history. She says, “If you are pushing yourself towards your dreams, you have to have a good support system. Get everyone on board with your plans, so that you can end up giving back to them tenfold because of the help they gave you at the time.”
When asked how black history has impacted her and how she feels it’s influenced her work, Ashunta attributes her awareness of culture to her mother and stepfather, whom she says, fueled her with “intense books that celebrate black culture”. In reference to her aesthetic as an MUA she says, “I don’t’ want to change my skin tone, I don’t want my neck to be a different skin tone from my face. I celebrate that difference that we have, that’s what makes us unique. As a race of people, we literally can look Asiatic, we can look Latino, we can look European; we’re really chameleons, and I think we need to celebrate that a lot more.” She goes on to say that much of her inspiration is drawn from anything tribal.
When asked if she thinks the beauty industry has done a good job creating products that represent all shades, she says, “Now, I really love where make up actually is. It’s an oversaturation, but it’s needed; you can never have too much.”
Sheriff credits MAC as being the catalyst for diversity within the industry. She describes the Herald Square MAC counter as “the United Nations of women”. Ashunta believes that this catapulted the industry to the point where brands were starting to take notice and create campaigns with “beautiful brown girls, with real black woman features”.
Her advice to those who aspire to be in the industry is:
-Never turn down an opportunity; find a way to make a way
-Fake it ‘til you make it, but once you make it, be sure to educate yourself i.e. set protocol, creating an invoice, and how to appropriately price jobs
-Take the time to research the “who’s who” within your respective industry
-Connect with others; you never know who will turn up later on
So what’s next for Ashunta, you ask? Her Ashunta Sheriff beauty line will be expanding in the fall available at ashuntasheriffbeauty.com. She is also set to release a book soon (can’t wait!), chronicling her journey as a single mother. We certainly wish her all the best!
In the meantime, you can keep up with her on IG @ashuntasheriff.
Thoughts on Ashunta Sheriff? Any others you’d like to see featured in our Black History month series?
