I woke up this morning to the tragic news of Alexander McQueen’s passing. At the age of 40, he committed suicide in his London home. This news came on the first day of New York Fashion Week, where his diffusion line McQ slated to debut at Milk Studios. His PR company KCD has since canceled the presentation. Word also has it, that his store in the Meatpacking District is closed, with a white sheet covering its windows.

Official statement on his web site reads:

On behalf of Lee McQueen’s family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee’s family.

Lee’s family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this.

McQueen’s impact on the fashion community expands the reach of editorial pages or celebrity press. He was an extraordinary visionary, whose art conveyed the inner thoughts of a guy who found beauty in the darkest of places. May he, forever rest in peace.

Ten years have passed since Kelis came kicking and screaming “Caught Out There”.  A breath of fresh air with a quirkiness that was as endearing as her beauty.  She marched to her own drum, spoke her mind and made her own style of music. Kelis was the talk of the town and the chatter supersedes her.

Seth Godin, the author of Purple Cow, a highly successful marketing book comes to mind when I think about Kelis. In Purple Cow Godin discusses how success lies in the ability of a product to be remarkable, INNOVATIVE and worth talking about.

Kelis then, was the Purple Cow of my adolescence.

Last week,  Kelis attended the Data Awards, where she wore a latex jumpsuit, long gray braid/tail and a pair of Alexander McQueen armadillo hooves. She flew way off the radar – appearing very animalistic at best.

So why so much clamor?  We’re talking about Kelis here- she’s never fit into a box of normalcy. Why expect her to now?

It has a little something to do with a new Purple Cow grazing in the pastures. Its name is Lady Gaga and ironically, society barely has the brain capacity to deal with her.

Lady Gaga picked up where Kelis left off after she decided to play house with then-hubby, Nas. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with settling down but we live in a society full of ADD/ADHD consumers who’ve forgotten about her Kaleidoscope – or they didn’t know her to begin with.

Before Rihanna and Lady Gaga, there was Kelis. Before Kelis there was Bjork. Before Bjork, there was Madonna, Cher and Grace Jones. Every generation has a style star – Kelis is ours.

But this isn’t about my age group. This is about the younger folk who like Taylor Swift more than Beyonce (Hello, Grammys), were born with laptops in hand and cell phones attached to their ears.  It’s a whole new ball game and when it comes to Kelis and her Milkshake, it’s no match for the Fame Monster.

I wonder what inspired Kelis to wear this outfit. Maybe she wanted to have a bit of fun – or maybe, who am I kidding, I have the slightest clue. This is a woman who wore a black and gold bomber jacket with the words “N%^#A” on it to promote Nas’ album with the same title.  Kelis clearly doesn’t do subdued – even if her life depended on it. And realistically, we shouldn’t ever expect her to.

Sunday’s airing of the 67^th Annual Golden Globe Awards marked the beginning of award season. Knowledgeable movie buffs appreciated seeing their favorite thespians recognized while the other million-plus viewers paid close attention to the red carpet arrivals.

Over the years, the emphasis on red carpet fashion has heightened. Stars in turn, bring their A-game – or at least they’re supposed to. Sunday Night, Twitter was abuzz with many questions:

Why does Chloe Sevigny’s dress have so many ruffles? What in the world was Anna Paquin thinking with the metallic number? Let’s not forget Mariah Carey. She brought her own Golden Globes.

Fashion is subjective, and tulle isn’t for everyone. Somehow, “best and worst of” lists are all over the Web bringing a wider perspective on fashion faux pas. But how much pressure should we really put on celebrity dressing – what determines a red carpet hit or miss?

We applaud celebrities when they remain true to their public selves. We’ve formed opinions based on the movies we see, music we hear, interviews we read and candid photos of their personal lives. We know their every move and our expectations won’t allow for much deviation from the beaten path.

Cathy Horyn, one of my favorite fashion critics, stated in her blog:

It would have been nice to see someone look playful, friendly and sexy — an I-don’t-care-kind-of-girl. Instead the soggy n’ safe red carpet of the Globes served up one-shoulder gowns (Amy Poehler in red Jay Godfrey, Marion Cotillard in black Dior, Drew Barrymore in something beige and stuffy), lots of forceful bosom (Mariah Carey, a convincing battleship in black) and far too many renditions of “Mad Men” hair. Can’t we give it a rest?

Celebs know this and spend hours preparing for their picture perfect arrival. If they’re attempting to appease our ever-changing taste levels, aren’t we then, to blame for poor red carpet selections?

People expect the unexpected from Bjork and funny woman Tina Fey gets a free pass. American sweethearts Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston, however, should remain conventional. Diaz wore a red Alexander McQueen gown with matching red lipstick – she wound up on the worst dressed list.

These lists are really of no real consequence – except for a few laughs from fashion critics. We’ve got the SAG Awards and The Grammy’s up next and I’m betting that these so called fashion offenders will be able to redeem themselves.

Photo Credit: MSNBC

Words are meaningless when your heart is heavy.

The photos are graphic. The pain, insurmountable. Empathy, action and compassion are needed right now for a nation that was already one of the word’s poorest. Adding to the vivid imagery were reports of a united Haitian community, praising God for sparing their lives through the night. Faced with the toughest adversity, their faith is unwavering.

Everything else seems meaningless.  I’m job-less but blessed, nonetheless to have a stable roof over my head and food in my stomach and suddenly, that $15 I have left in my bank account is of little use for me. Click here to see a list of charitable organizations to donate to.

]]> http://nicolemiles.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/life-a-nation-uprooted/feed/ 0 Nicole haiti2 http://nicolemiles.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/bidding-adieu-eunice-w-johnson-1916-2010/ http://nicolemiles.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/bidding-adieu-eunice-w-johnson-1916-2010/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:46:56 +0000 Nicole http://nicolemiles.wordpress.com/?p=1235 ]]> Not too long ago, fashion week was a hush gathering for the industry’s elite. Makeup brands like MAC didn’t dominate the beauty counters nor did magazines for women of color. Thanks to people like Eunice W. Johnson, one won’t have to consider the possibilities in the ever-growing fashion industry.

Eunice W. Johnson was married to publisher John H. Johnson, whose influential titles Ebony and Jet kept the African-American community in the know. Her role, however, far extended the duties of being a doting wife and mother: Johnson named Ebony magazine, launched one of the first cosmetic brands for minorities and created the world’s largest traveling fashion show.

Eunice W. Johnson with Yves Saint Laurent

EBONY Fashion Fair was the first of its kind to bring haute couture to the masses – all you had to do was purchase a ticket. It proved itself a success, but Johnson still had to fight for her place in fashion as a respected visionary. Equipped with a budget allowing across the globe travel, Johnson purchased the finest couture and built relationships with some of the greatest designers, including Yves Saint Laurent.

Sadly, EBONY Fashion Fair ended in 2009. As for Fashion Fair Cosmetics, it is still one of the highest grossing cosmetic lines for women of color.

The impact of Mrs. Johnson’s achievements proves that anything is possible and while it may seem like an obstacle, pigmentation does not determine success. Runways, though lacking in color, aren’t indicative of the number of designers, models, editors and fashion influencers who are slowly building up their own legacy. One day, we too will leave our imprint on the world; one can only hope that it’s as significant as Mrs. Eunice W. Johnson’s.

V Magazine’s Size Issue features a plus size model wearing the same outfit as a standard model in the spread “One Size Fits All”. After staring at the photo, I realized the subtle difference between models: the model on the right fills out the clothes more but she’s in no way, “plus size”.

The way one feels about themselves has more to do with self-esteem than with size and it’s hard to feel beautiful when society tells you to change. The scale that measures beauty is heavily skewed, with some people like Karl Lagerfeld speaking their thoughts. He stated:

“No one wants to see curvy women. You’ve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly. The world of fashion is about dreams and illusions.”

Since when is curvy a bad thing? Health is not identical to size.

Ralph Lauren also found himself in the center of a controversy when two of his models, Valentina Zelyaeva and Filippa Hamilton came under scrutiny for their size. Zelyaeva’s midsection appeared manipulated through Photoshop and Hamilton became “too fat” to appear in the campaign. Hamilton’s image still appeared in the advertisement.

A step in the right direction came this September when his past September, Glamour magazine ran the photo of Lizzi Miller, a plus size model, without her clothes or photo retouching. Women wrote in to the magazine, thanking them incessantly for finally showing a woman they could relate to: a woman, with flaws.

Beauty is botox, beauty is dieting. Beauty is eating disorders. Beauty is drugs. Beauty is credit card debt. Beauty is over shopping. Beauty is everything you’re not. So buy, buy, buy and change, change, change.

There aren’t enough positive, reaffirming messages of beauty in our media, and after years of feeling devalued, we’re ready to see real women and we’re ready to embrace ourselves.

When I moved to New York, I envisioned myself in an Upper East Side apartment penning fashion-related articles from my Apple laptop. In short, my life was supposed to mirror Carrie Bradshaw’s.

Among all the positive women in the world, why choose a fictional character to emulate?

For starters, I am a hopeless romantic. Furthermore, SJP’s character is nothing more than a modern day Cinderella. It’ would be obvious if the title were whimsical. Instead, “Sex and the City” suggests that the show is about a single girl dating in New York. The story lines validate this notion, but the fairytale formula is still present. 

Carrie is a freelance writer (in a modest UES apartment) with a penchant for shoes and men. Throughout the years, she falls for Prince Charmings Mr. Big, Aidan, Berger and Aleksandr Petrovsky (all successful men). Mr. Big gets serious, eventually proposing to Carrie with a Manolo Blahnik pump. The two get married in a courtroom wedding and live happily ever after.

That’s the thing about fairytales. They end before things get dreadful.

There are countless texts (movies, books, TV shows, etc.) that reiterate those “happily ever afters” and SATC is a cash cow because it allows us to escape our realities: even if it’s just for a moment.  Smart women can differentiate between fact and fiction, yet everyone I know has their own rendition of SATC – especially when they move to the city. SATC gives us something to aspire to. It empowers us through an uneven balance of sexual liberation and neediness. It also impedes our growth.

As we place our feet on higher rungs of the career ladder, we get sidetracked, ardently seeking our own Mr. Big. Infallible love and couture gets us every time. That’s where Sex and The City 2 comes in.

Who knows what’s in store for this installation? What could possibly be next for our fairytale couple? Will there be a baby on board for Carrie and Big? Or even jucier, will there be a “Big” indiscretion?

I’m on the fence about this one but the reality is if it wasn’t a succeeding SATC, it would just be another book, movie or show with a different cast, a different title, and a different setting. The story however, will always remain the same.

Interview Magazine released its list of the “Twenty Most Beautiful People of the Decade” and aside from those pictured are Ashley Greene, Robert Pattinson, Colin Farrell and Alicia Keys. While not certain on the winning criteria, I’m grinning in satisfaction at the list.  In fact, I couldn’t have selected a better set myself.

This weekend, the DC area received over 2 feet of snow. For those driving to and from work, it was horrible.  For me, it was nothing short of bliss. With a pantry full of food, a fridge full of wine and a parka that keeps me warmer than needed, I reverted back to my childhood days of snow angels and frozen fingers.

I live for moments like this.

Please don’t let the pressure of buying presents, unemployment or foreclosure keep you from finding joyous moments and laughter. It has and will always be the little things that make the world a better place.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

“I don’t care about fashion and since I’m not a fashion person like you, I don’t really need designer clothes”…

After hearing this statement more times than I’d care to admit, I realize that there are many misconceptions about fashion. The term “fashion” is subjective and as long as we need to protect ourselves from the natural elements, fashion will matter.

“The only people interested in fashion are shallow, stick-thin airheads who are out of touch with reality.”

That’s fictitious as well.

Fashion insiders are regular folk, most of whom are indifferent to fashion. It’s a business and it operates  like a business.

It is a fact however, that some designer price points are equal to the average family’s annual income but there are also designers and retailers that cater to Middle America. Especially in these rough economical times where stores like Target, H&M, Wal-Mart and Forever 21 are expanding successfully. Thrift stores too.

You can care about your appearance without being vain and you can have a covetable wardrobe without credit card debt. Fashion is in fact accessible to everyone – it’s all about working with what you have – not keeping up with the Joneses.

My closet is pretty solid and has pieces from Wal-Mart and Nordstrom in it.

Strengthen Your Core

I firmly believe that you’re only as good as your core and your undergarments are essential in creating the foundation. Most women don’t know their exact bra size and you can either measure yourself or head to a department store to get fitted.

Also, investing in shapewear (Assets and SPANX ) will work wonders for any outfit.

Discover Your Shape

Instead of wallowing over that size 8 that used to fit, shop for the size you wear now. Identify your body’s shape and wear things that emphasize, not take away from it.

I live for comfortable clothes and would rather wear a mumu than anything else, but because of my curves (I’m the infamous hour-glass shape) certain outfits and dresses drown me out and make me look plump. Bottom line, nothing is flattering about ill-fitting garments.

Refurbish Your Wardrobe

Studies show that we wear 20 percent of the contents in our closet 80 percent of the time, so why waste precious space on items you won’t wear? Less is more. Donate what you no longer wear, store what’s out of season and find a tailor in your neighborhood to do some damage control.

Now, focus on timeless pieces that will last you for years to come like:

–Structured blazers
–Little black dresses
–Cardigans
–Chunky knit sweaters
–Opaque and lace tights
–Black trousers
–Jeans
–Fitted t-shirts
–Ballet flats
–Statement Jewelry

Sites like SheFinds and The Budget Fashionista are excellent sources for finding the latest deals.

There are thousands upon thousands of resources to make fashion accessible, so go forth and shine!