Goodbye fedoras. There's a new way to cover up a bad hair day inspired by traditional Indian ornamental headdress: turbans.
Regarded as a symbol of honor and respect in India (and called pagri), turbans hit my fashion radar this summer with Carrie's look on Sex and the City II.
Since then, the super-sophisticated look has permeated pop culture with style mavens like June Ambrose, Salma Hayek, Kourtney Kardashianand Solange Knowles wrapping their hair in gorgeous fabric.
And I'm loving the look!
Unlike a fedora for example, which primarily comes in solid colors, you can make a colorful, patterned turban the focal point of your outfit like Solange.
And while bold glamazons like Solange and June Ambrose wrap their hair up in a turban, you can also rock a turban like a hat on top of your head and let your hair hang underneath like Salma Hayek and Kourtney Kardashian.
The stars were out for yesterday's Keep A Child Alive Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, and I have to say this is one event I hate to have missed! Not that I had money for the ticket which I heard cost $50,000 a seat! And not that I was terribly bored yesterday (I was hanging out in Miami for a blogger event I threw for my job! But more on that later...).
I'm mad I missed it because Sade and Alicia Keys performed one of my favorite songs, "Love is Stronger than Pride." Sigh. Live vicariously like me through the video below.
The red carpet was just as exciting! Check out the looks I loved below and vote for your favorite!
Beyonce wore a fuschia gown by Andrew GN which featured a sweetheart neckline and draping at the waist. Not a fan of the color, but love the natural makeup on her.
Alicia Keys chose a gray printed gown with gathering around her baby bump.
These two stay with the Sears photo poses. Cute (I guess).
Jennifer Hudson showed off her svelte figure in a velvet, curve-hugging dress, strappy stilettos and sexy, dark lips. Gorgeous!
Whitney Houston gave us a head of wild, unkempt curls and a short black dress. She was...umm...animated on the red carpet. Not her best moment.
Uma Thurman wore a burgundy gown with asymmetric stripes around the waist, a crystal brooch and clutch and a leopard print cardigan. Yikes. Not elegant or polished at all.
June Ambrose continued her turban moment from New York Fashion Week in a black turban and a gown with a sequined black top and blue skirt with floral embroidery. What a fun, high-fashion and exciting look! I'm a fan.
Sade stole the spotlight (in my opinion) in a white gown with a plunging neckline and diamond embellishment. She paired it with her signature flowing black locks and siren red lips. Does it get more beautiful than this?
Vote for your favorite: Who was MOST GLAM?
And check out the performance that made my day here:
As any fashionista knows, sometimes the best inspiration is found off the runway. June Ambrose makes that statement truer than ever this Fashion Week.
Everyday, she's modeled creative, bold and attention-grabbing looks to the front row of such shows as Nicole Miller and Lacoste. From a leopard print jumpsuit to teal shorts and glamazing sandals, June Ambrose has managed to keep all eyes on her at Lincoln Center.
Step into her fabulous, fashionable world with these stylish looks. Vote: are they Glam or Sham?
Oh yes! A turban, shades, a teal short suit, camel accents in a long-sleeved top
AND those to-die-for heels.
June Ambrose hit the Lacoste show with her "mini-me" as she calls daughter Summer by her side. Live for her demure yet edgy studded A-line skirt.
Talk about a fierce look! June Ambrose wore a leopard print jumpsuit with a black headpiece, belt, nude Mary Jane pumps and tons of gold jewelry to the Piperlime pop-up shop. Werk!
Alright, Glamazons: by now we're sure that you've read all about the news of ESSENCE magazine hiring Ellianna Placas as the new fashion director. What's the big deal?
Well, Placas just happens to be a white woman and ESSENCE just happens to be a publication for black women by black women.
Can you see how this could be a bit of a controversy now?
As two former of employees of the mag, you'd be correct in thinking that Coutura and I were immediately saddened upon hearing the news. (Heck, Coutura even worked in the fashion department!) Since Agnes Cammock left the post several years ago, the mag has had some difficulty in finding a new hire. However, Coutura and I know for a fact that some of the top people in black fashion voiced that they'd never take that position due to its many restraints.
Finally one was found: Billie Causieestko, but she lasted for less than a year before being let go. The position has been open for quite some time and an interim person was placed in by Time, Inc until a replacement could be found.
Enter Placas, who apparently has several years' magazine experience at pubs such as O Magazine and US Weekly.
According to a post on The Fashion Bomb, Michaela Davis (a former fashion director at ESSENCE) expressed feelings of hurt and disappointment at the hiring of Placas.
ESSENCE's former Beauty and Cover Director Mikki Taylor told The Glamazons that she'd heard of the news about Placas' hire while in Los Angeles but had no comments to make about the matter.
What do I think? I think that it's a known fact that the fashion department at ESSENCE has been in shambles for a long time now. If Placas can come in and use her contacts in the fashion world to bring in more money for the mag, then that's a good thing, right?
However, when you think about the historical aspect (as Davis points out) that should be upheld by ESSENCE by hiring only black women, then it is a rather sad thing. This could never be possible anyhow considering that it's owned by Time, Inc which (by law) is an equal opportunity employer.
What do you think about this, Glamazons? Will you continue to read ESSENCE knowing that there's a white fashion director?
Zac is the new black. That was the phrase du jour at last night's party to celebrate the launch of Zac Posen for Target (the collection will be in stores on April 25th).
The famed New York Hotel on 34th Street was transformed into a swanky oasis with a red carpet, chandeliers, white and red roses and fashion darling, Zac's name in red lights.
The ambiance felt like a dream setting for fashion addicts---and the night truly could have been a dream. By the end of the party, I'd hung out with some of my favorite stylists, June Ambrose and Memsor Kamarake, rubbed shoulders with Zac Posen, model Alek Wek, Selma Blair, Claire Daines, Mena Suvari, Ginnifer Goodwin, Michelle Trachtenberg, Kelly Bensimon, Joe Zee and Olivia Palermo. and chatted on camera with one of my favorite models, Sessilee Lopez. But okay, back to the beginning.
As soon as I walked in, a gentleman in a tux offers to take my picture on the red carpet in front of a lifesize picture of gorg models in Zac for Target dresses. Really? This, Glamazons, was true glamour brought to the everyday girl.
After taking my red carpet photo and enjoying the free champagne, it was finally time to shop! And---one of the reasons why I love these events---I didn't have to come to blows with some aggressive Target shopper to get a dress in my size. (Well, I did have to accost an unsuspecting worker and pull a skirt in my size out of his hands before anyone else got there...but that's as physical as it got!).
Ferocia, Elaine Welteroth from Ebony Magazine and I were like vultures finally getting our hands on the clothes we'd been salivating over for months. I thought the dresses would give me life anew, but I quickly learned the fit wasn't so great on me (read: if you've got curves, you'll have to go up a size). But some pieces, like that amazing trumpet dress fit like a charm.
Check out our pics below (Disclaimer: I'm horrible at taking photos in the mirror a la Myspace. Forgive me!)
I loved the Trumpet dress on! Though I definitely had to go up a size and shimmy in the zipper...
The black cocktail dress was adorable on Elaine, even June Ambrose thought so!
Ferocia wasn't crazy about the dress, but has her eye on the white Zac Posen tank with Zac written in red lipstick...and we know how much she loves the lipsticks...
I walked away with the zebra print dress Nicky Hilton and Sessilee Lopez wore, and that's probably the only thing we all share in our wardrobe. Plus I scored that ruched black pencil skirt with the amazing fit! And the total money I spent, Glams? Drumroll...$75. Yes, I must've been dreaming.
And now for the party. Some of New York's most fashionable and beautiful people mingled and mixed to the tunes of DJ Kid America and enjoyed performances by The Like. It was hilarical seeing everyone try to avoid getting delicious cupcake icing and champagne on their armful of Zac for Target clothes!
In VIP, the man of the hour, Zac Posen, chopped it up with friends, Alek Wek, Claire Daines, Mena Suvari and Sessilee Lopez to name a few.
Teen Vogue tweeted this pic of Alek Wek chilling in VIP
Here's a blurry pic of Zac Posen chopping it up with Sessilee Lopez
Lopez, a Glamazon favorite,looked stunning in her Zac Posen for Target zebra print dress. I'm a huge fan of hers (she killed the runway at the Arise show among others) so imagine my delight when her amazing PR people granted me an impromptu interview! Fun! On our GlamCam, she dished about why she loves Zac Posen and how much fun she had letting loose on the set for Laquan Smith'sFall 2010 lookbook shoot. Check it out:
I just love models that are smart, fun and not afraid to be themselves! Speaking of fun, we ran into stylist extraordinaire June Ambrose shopping downstairs in all her glamorous, sequined glory!
She chatted with Ferocia on the GlamCam about Zac Posen bringing "haute couture to the masses" and included a wardrobe style tip for Glamazon readers!
Love that June promised she's not a label whore! (I, on the other hand, definitely am. Only for Zac Posen and Christian Louboutin though...and Rachel Roy...and Chanel...okay, I'm a label slore).
We spent the rest of the night catching up with great friends like Christian Law of the popular style blog, Fresher than Chris, Ally of the amazing women's empowerment blog, She Blogs, Simone from The New York Times, Diesel's publicist, Nicole Newsum and Ebony Editor (and Kebero by Kellia Kebero model) Elaine Welteroth.
A blurry pic of me, Simone from The New York Times and Ally from She Blogs
All in all, a fab night with even more fabulous clothes! Comment and tell us what you plan to pick up when Zac Posen for Target hits stores April 25th.
By the end of Fashion Week, editors are the walking dead in Louboutins and Jimmy Choos. As fun as it looks, trekking from show to show without a second to breathe, eat or sleep is not for the faint of heart. The Future of Fashion lounge, hosted by TV personality and style expert, Robert Verdi, was the perfect antidote for stressed writers, bloggers and even celebs.
Nestled in the center of the Fashion Week circus, the Luxe lab was transformed into a fashion and beauty oasis, with makeup, hair and nail applications and cocktails courtesy of the new Absolut Berri Acai. Celebs, like June Ambrose and Miss J, who I ran into getting his nails did, stopped by to take a much-deserved break between shows and mingle with the creme de la creme of the Fashion world.
But that's not the best part. Robert Verdi's lounge is the perfect place to discover the new and the next in Fashion and Beauty. Robert Verdi has the earned the moniker, the gay Oprah (Goprah) for his penchant for finding the best and brightest brands in the biz. (P.S. While chatting, we realized we went to the same high school in New Jersey! He's so my gay boyfriend in my head but I digress...)
Once you get the Robert Verdi stamp of approval, it's a known fact that you're on your way to a whirlwind of success. And that success is well-deserved. Each brand he embraces has something special about them---whether it's a fresh take on makeup packaging or innovative shapewear technology that's nowhere else on the market.
Robert Verdi's nail lacquer line of choice? Ginger & Liz. The haute nail polish brand, which I covered on The Glamazons in November, was founded by model/author, Liz, and entrepreneur, Ginger. With sassy names like "Put a Ring on It," "Swagger," and "Boss Lady," each color is rich, chic and fashion-forward.
Celebrity nail artists like Kimmie Kyees (Rihanna, Britney Spears, Katy Perry) and Tracy Lee (who works at Damone Roberts salons) say the quality of the Ginger & Liz line is just as great as the color choices. While hooking up my mani, my nail tech said "the polish is thick and only needs a few coats, and lasts longer than most nail polishes on the market." And she's absolutely right. A week later, my nail polish hasn't chipped at all.
From the conservative career woman to the fashion-loving risktaker, there's a color for everyone. I chose the new, gorgeous unnamed gray color that everyone's talking about (Tweet @gingerandliz with name suggestions!) and for my ring finger, I picked the amazing taxi yellow hue, "Caution."
Me getting my nails done. Yes, I'm always on the phone.
Finished product---isn't it amazing? The gray color and "Caution" are a match made in heaven.
The adorable "Liz" of Ginger & Liz with multicolor nail polish. I'm so proud of their success (P.S. I knew they were gonna be huge!)
Miss J painted each nail in a Ginger & Liz hue to match his fierce multi-finger ring. Werk!
June Ambrose posted a Twitpic of herself getting a cute Ginger & Liz mani at the lounge.
While sipping on Absolut Berri Acai (which mixes amazingly well with everything from juice to champagne. Trust me, I've tried), I checked out the Jouer Cosmetics makeup stand, which is a French line of chic and modern cosmetics. The intelligent packaging for Jouer, which means "play" in French, allows you to do just that. You can attach different shadows to customize your portable makeup palette. Fabulous!
Once Beautylicious and my nails were hooked up and faces were beat, we snacked on the delicious Popcorn Indian Kettle Corn (see below, yum!) and checked out the fashion brands. Robert Verdi featured the new Maidenform bra that adds two cup sizes to your bustline and ShaToBu shapewear, the innovative brand that burns calories while you wear it! I need ShaToBu in my life pronto to get right and tight for the summertime.
Check out some pics of us hanging out at the lounge below! Fun times.
Beautylicious and I looking pretty and sipping Absolut Berri Acai and lemonade earlier in the week.
Here's this adorable model I met at the lounge! I had to take a pic with him. Fierce.
All images on www.glamazonsblog.com are readily available on the Internet and believed to be in public domain. Images posted are believed to be published according to the U.S. Copyright Fair Use Act (title 17, U.S. Code.)
