For this week’s Style File, I decided to do a bit of a throwback on one of the decade’s most beautiful women…

laurynhill1

Lauryn Hill.
She might be a little sad today…
…but don’t front, in 1998, she was the hottest for her talent, beauty, and cool neo soul style that’s still relevant today.
For red carpets she wore signature jackets in bold colors and prints:

…balanced out by tops and bottoms in solid standard colors.
She kept it casual in very subtle long dresses in neutral colors:
…worn with or without glasses.
For photo shoots, she stayed polished in one shoulder tops or halters worn with bold jewelry:
See, one shoulder tops are timeless!
Want to replicate her throwback look?
Start with some cool jackets:
1.Fashionista Brown Cropped Jacket, $180. 2. Soia & Kyo Cotton Belle Empire Jacket, $235.
Throw in a few maxi dresses:
1. Day Birger et Mikkelsen Maxi Dress, $240. 2. Alice + Olivia Double Strap Maxi Dress, $276.50. 3. Armani Exchange Dip Dyed Max Dress, $98.
And don’t forget accessories:
1. Les Prairies de Paris L’impromptu Choker, $210. 2. Argento Vivo 6 Hammered Sterling Bangles, $72. 3. ASOS Sterling Silver Diamond Cut Hoops, $25.
Smootches!

Fashion, News, and What Nots

*Ever wonder what happened to her? This article seems to have all the details. [Let’s Talk]
Just for fun, some throw back viddys:
Ready or Not:

Doo Wop:

Everything is Everything:

And for my old heads, the beginning of it all:

*In this week’s Thursday Styles, Cathy Horyn talks about the all black issue of Italian Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel

She says, “In a reverse of the general pattern of fashion magazines, all the faces are black, and all the feature topics are related to black women in the arts and entertainment. Mr. Meisel was given roughly 100 pages for his pictures. The issue will be on European newsstands next Thursday and in the United States soon after.” And it will be in the Fashion Bomb Shop soon after ($20 + s&h Paypal Only). Get ready!
Oh and a few scoops: Toccara (from ANTM) will grace a few pages. And Liya Kebede, Naomi Campbell, Sessilee Lopez, and Jourdan Dunn have been pegged for the cover.
Mr. Meisel is quoted in the conclusion of the piece saying, “Here’s this exquisite girl…What don’t you get? She’s a beautiful woman. There was no trick to it.” EXACTLY! We get it, don’t we??
Read the rest of the article here. [NYTimes]
*Fashion Week Daily says that Michelle Obama is now in fashion.
She’s been in fashion at the Fashion Bomb for quite some time! Check her Style File from January ’08. Yes we can!!!

11 thoughts on “Style Nostalgia: Lauryn Hill + Italian Vogue Release Its All Black Issue”

  1. I can’t believe the more current photos! I didn’t recognize her.

    Lauryn was stunning and had a great sense of style.

    It’s sad to see what has happened.

    FYI the New York Times has an article on the all black Italian Vogue that is hitting Europe next week, the states shortly there after.

    I will def. post about it when I pick it up.

  2. That article is Shocking. It’s safe to say she was one of my very first style icons. It’s unfortunate that maintaining that appearance was a huge source of stress for her.

  3. I believe that the representation of us starts with our community first. Look at what we do. We go to the mall or Manhattan and hurry to cop those Gucci shoes or Chanel bag when in reality they don’t care about us. Even look at Sex in the City…they do not care about us. Not even one of the woman in the wore a Black designer and they are out there. If someone doesn’t support you then don’t support them. White, Hispanic and Asian do not support alot of these companies tht have nothing to do with them. They start their own and build their own empire to cater to their people.

  4. I think its interesting that a lot of the darker models in the Italian Vogue have been lightened. I’m sure its of a combination of the black/white, lighting and re-touching, but what the heck? Please look at how light S.Lopez is in the turban look.

    wtf?

  5. lauren hill is such a beautiful black women we need more women that look like her out now.

  6. is it me or do all the women for the cover have very European features? i would have felt better if it was just one black model as opposed to four who still ascribe to the same standard. black women are very diverse in their beauty and have a host of features.

    baby steps i guess…

  7. I for one, love the gesture. I live in Iowa, so I will be buying my copy!!! Thanks Claire

  8. Love Michelle’s style!
    I love the models they used for the cover. I am sure the 100 page spread will have an array of diverse black models. I am glad to see VI do this, even though some may argue that it is all a publicity stunt. Publicity stunt or not, this is what our black models need. EXPOSURE. This proves that black models can sell high fashion just as well as their white counterpart. The only difference is the concentration of melanin in their skin. toodles!

    Love your blog by the way.

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