A Fashionable Life: Thelma Golden

"A Curator of Style"

Thelma Golden is presently the Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem. The petite powerhouse, style-maven, socialite, activist, art diva and philanthropist has been serving us her sense of style ever since she became the Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs in 2000 before succeeding Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, the Museum’s former Director and President, in 2005. Thelma is heavily involved in numerous charities throughout the international art world and in the New York Art Society.

Thelma and her husband Duro Olowu

Thelma is one lucky woman because there aren't  many women who have husbands who are fashion designers(unless your name is Annette de la Renta, the wife of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta.) and Thelma Golden  happens to be married to London based fashion designer, Duro Olowu. A woman can only hope to be so lucky if her father or husband owns any one of the successful design houses on the planet because she'll always have a great selection of clothes at her disposal.

Who could forget the fabulous New York apartment of Golden's as it appeared in a previous O at Home Magazine a few years ago? Check out the fabulous closet that's made for a stylish Afrolista. 

Afrolista Of The Week: Tarshá McMillian-Hamilton

Afrolista of The Week: Tarshá M. Hamilton

This weeks Afrolista of the week is the beautiful Tarshá McMillian-Hamilton who also happens to be the very talented wife of singer and my Mom's favorite, Mr. Anthony Hamilton.

Tarshá  also has a CD out titled: The McMillian Story which can be purchased on iTunes.

Want to learn about Tarshá Hamilton then check her out here. Show your love for this talented lady by buying her music and we must support more artist like her and her husband who give us real music without all the fluff out there masquerading as music.

For Your Eyes Only-There's Nothing Geek About Chic Eyeglasses

This is one trend that never really was a trend to begin with, but merely a style of glasses that an individual wears because they happen to like them. With the advent of the style of " Mad Men" and Tom Fords new movie, "A Single Man" be sure to look out for more people adopting this style as their own.

I still had my glasses from years ago that I wore in the above picture so I don't have to buy anything. My newer glasses are similar to the ones Liya Kebede is wearing. The Nerd label is nothing more then something the people pleaser's would say about those who like to wear these glasses.

Ray-Bans have not gone out of style and even Chanel had a pair that were two-tone last year for sale. can you rock this trend or are you afraid to be labeled a geek? Everyone from Madonna, Pharrel Williams to Jay-Z is rocking these glasses. Maybe they've seen the real trendsetters on the street wearing these and then adopted them as their own? Is this a trend for you?

Need A Little Inspiration?

No words, just listen and take action.

I Am Legend: Filipina Super Model Anna Bayle

I miss all of the animated fashion shows of the 40's and onto the 90's before militarism on the catwalk took over. I also miss the creativity of the designers of those days who created new looks, unlike most of the designers of today who are copying the designs of the past and trying to past them off as being new designs. We were able to remember certain clothing designs simply because of the models who wore them and we may not have had the money to purchase the couture, they had us wishing we did.

And if you lived in Europe during that time you could go into any store and buy the latest copy of what YSL, Jean Louis-Scherrer, Pierre Balmain, Guy Laroche, Per Spook, Lancetti, Hanae Mori and others were creating to make your own look. The 80's was the age that I came up in and I copied every look that YSL was creating and made it my own and I don't think that any of my friends were over dressed for the clubs in Germany because we knew we were looking good.

Which brings me to Filipina super model, Anna Bayle. Anna Bayle was also a member of the famous and iconic YSL group of  top models and not only did she model for YSL, she was modeling all over Europe and in the USA for several designers. As the video depicts, the lady had a walk out of this world and as a matter of fact all of the models of that era strutted the runways like no other. Enjoy and be sure to check out her fabulous blog.
(Photos:JalFr)

Meet the New Malcolm! Darius McCrary Has Joined The Young and the Restless!

Actor/Singer Darius McCrary

I don't do the celebrity obsession like most people and it's a rarity when I do because I often like to highlight those who hardly receive the press and the accolades from possible fans. While enjoying a few days off I decided to play catch up on a little soap opera action and was shocked to see Darius (Eddie Winslow) McCrary starring in the show as the character Malcolm Winters, a role originated by Shemar Moore. McCrary is no stranger to the cast of Y&R. Darius and Bryton James (Devon) co-starred on Family Matters back in the day, but he is a stranger to daytime television. With a history of acting in film, prime-time television, singing and songwriting under his belt, this marks his first stint on a daytime drama and I'm glad to see the man working.


(Photos:CBS)

Man of Style: John Forté

Man of Style: Mr. John Forté  is back on the music scene in a big way and is now wowing audiences right were he left off  after being released from prison on drug charges in 2008. He's paid his debt to society and with the help of Carly Simon,  her son Ben Taylor and Senator Orrin Hatch, John Forté's prison sentence was commuted by President George W. Bush. Today, not only is John serenading his fans with his lyrical content and music, he is also working as an educator at the City College of New York.

I've been a fan of  his ever since he was introduced to the world through the Fugees and it's great to see him back. Whenever anyone of the Fugee Camp made music, I bought it and still do, even if Wyclef Jean is the only one recording music because I love their style. Now that John is back on the scene I decided to buy his latest CD since I already own his previous CD's. I ordered a new copy of his latest music called Stylefree the EP which was released last year. Be sure to show your love and support by purchasing a copy of the CD. Now one can deny that we all miss great music.

Introducing Sole Sister: Heather Williams of H. Williams Design

Move over Christian Louboutin there's a woman following right behind you in her shoes! I haven't been this excited for a woman shoe designer since I bought my first pair of Maud Frizon shoes over thirty years ago. Sure they work behind the scenes as designers of the brands, but the design world is not overly populated with women designers who are at the forefront of fashion and when I find one that I like I will celebrate her and spread the word.

One such woman comes to mind is Heather Williams of H.Williams Design. While perusing the Grace Ormonde Wedding Magazine looking for ideas of my daughters upcoming wedding I came across her and another designer of some of the most fabulous shoes ever. According to her bio, Heather Williams received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2001.

She spent the next several years in New York City designing collections of sportswear and evening footwear. In 2005, she was hired by Calvin Klein Footwear as a Senior Designer. She continued to design and create several successful collections which were featured in Calvin Klein’s national advertising. Heather moved to Milan in 2008 to study the artisan and technical craftsmanship of Italian footwear and handbags. She embraced the Italian artisans and gained in-depth knowledge. While in Milan, her focus turned to the launch of her first solo venture, H Williams.

Her H Williams footwear and handbags are designed for a confident, chic, independent woman. The collection encompasses a definitive sense of movement with attention to patterns and details. H Williams 2009/2010 collection are complemented with precious materials; python, croco- stamp and brushed metallic. All hand-made in Italy, the collection reflects a great respect for the history, tradition, and quality behind Italian footwear and handbags.

Want to learn more info about H.Williams? Then follow the link. If anyone has any information on great accessories, shoe designers and clothing designers throughout the world, then let me know and leave a comment.


(Photos and text: H.Williams Design)

Pep and The City?

The Cast of  VH1's "Let's Talk About Pep"

Sitting (L-R) Joumana Kidd, Jacque Reid and Kali Troy

Standing: Sandy "Pepa" Denton

Face it ladies and gents, we miss Sex and The City, Girl Friends, Living Single and even The Golden Girls, that's right the Golden Girls, which were in fact the first Sex and the City type of show featuring middle aged women living their lives on their own terms which was hilarious. Sure you can buy them on DVD, but it's not the same. And now we have VH1's new show "Let's Talk About Pep" which is suppose to be a real-life comedy following Sandra "Pepa" Denton of Salt-n-Pepa fame as she emerges from an over four-year romance and celibacy lifestyle in search of love again.

The story goes that after being burned by a lot of bad boys one too many times, Pep decided to get out of the game for a while(sounds like me and a lot of other women). She thought that becoming celibate would cause "Mr. Right" to appear and he hasn't, Pep is now joining forces with three of her closest girlfriends, all of whom are single and searching for a "New Love" to try the dating scene again. Together the four friends will laugh, cry and dish lots of dirt as they all try to find true love.

Rounding out the cast of her three friends are: Journalist and radio show personality Jacque Reid, Joumana Kidd, ex-wife of Jason Kidd and Kali Troy a.k.a. "Kittie" and the voice of Cita of BET fame.

VH1's new original series, "Let's Talk About Pep premiere's tonight at 10:30/9:30C, 11 January 10-so check your local times. I can smell the backlash and the blanket statements that will come from the naysayers.

Men Of Style: Designers Kevan Hall and B.Micheal

Fashion designer, B. Micheal and one of his favorites muses, business woman Pamela Joyner at her annual Black Tie Affair.


This year I decided to start off on a more positive note and pay homage to two designers that I greatly admire, but whose story has been languishing in my lap tops hard drive because I've been too busy to edit what I wrote about them. I want to give credit to these two designers because we give more credit to others, when these men are just as good, if not better and they greatly deserve the attention. Sure, they've maintained their success without the attention from the mainstream fashion press, but I think they deserve the same accolades given to other more popular fashion designers.

Some of my favorites designs from B. Michael's 2010 Spring/Summer Collection.

I first heard of B. Micheal after reading about him in earlier copies of Essence Magazine and saw his designs quite frequently on my favorite actress, Cicely Tyson and other fashionable ladies. I first noticed Kevan Hall designs while watching the annual Academy Awards pre-shows and like most people, I had to find out more about him.




Another one of B.Michael's favorite muses, or shall I say fashion ambassadors, actress Cicely Tyson looking breath taking in red.

A spectacular gown from Kevan's 2010 Spring/Summer Collection.

Kevan Hall and B. Micheal knows it's not about you wearing the dress, but more about the dress wearing you in a transforming way. Their gowns and dresses are all about glamour, which today means modern glamour worn with a heavy dose of confidence. From their first collections to their present collections, they have never strayed from their true passion of making women look mutely elegant. Who she is and what she is speaks volumes when wearing their creations.


It doesn't matter if it's in their manipulation of the various fabrics that they use in their interpretations or the billowing of silk and organza of their gowns whose construction often rivals those found in nature.


Their collections for Spring/2010 tells the story of both of their influences for the ethereal sophistication and intricacy that their customers crave when wearing their designs. Kevan Hall's statement making pieces rival the boundaries between fashion and art with their vivid colors in which they both courageously use in their collections.

My favorite looks from Kevan Hall's 2010 Spring/Summer Collection and Mr. Hall himself.


It's no wonder that both of them are inspiring a new generation of designers to go where many of them are afraid to go. Bold, in living color!


Actress Vanessa Williams is a true supporter of Kevan Hall.

Regardless of the lack of media coverage they hardly receive, both men have their feet firmly planted on the boundaries of fashion in their own way. Their clothes are for women who exude confidence and are infused with the elegance to wear them, you won't see any unlikely combinations of street inclinations in any of their collections.

Kevan Hall and B. Micheal are not only known for their elegant gowns and the "ladies who lunch" suits, but the "women who launch" empires. I can't wait to see what Cicely Tyson, Susan Fales-Hill, Pamela Joyner, Alice Blythewood, Vanessa Williams, Crystal McCrary-Anthony and others will be wearing of their designs from the runway to the boardroom and to the ballroom.

For more info on both designers check out their web sites here: Kevan Hall and B.Micheal.
(Photos:SF Luxe/Getty Images)

What's Hot Now! Backstage Dior!

Super Model Debra Shaw during the
Christian Dior Haute Couture-Spring 2007
Show.



For over 12 years, John Galliano has been wowing us with his theatrical presentations and interpretations of beautiful clothes. He has stayed true to his credo of creating beautifully elegant clothing from couture to Ready-to-Wear. At the helm of The House of Dior since 1996, Galliano has never abandoned the classic designs of Christian Dior but instead  gave women his own definition of modern glamour and elegance through his visual references to the past and beyond.


Alek Wek gracing the cover of this fabulous book.

Now world renowned photographer Roxanne Lowit who was so fascinated with Dior fashion by John Galliano that she focused her lens on his inspirational designs and delivers the beauty in the new book, " Backstage Dior." Chronicling Galliano for over a decade, Roxanne has photographed Galliano as he puts his own stamp on Dior’s transforming designs and theatrically stunning fashion shows.


Super models Oluchi and Alek Wek in various fashion shows throughout the years.



John Galliano and models after his Dior Spring/2008 Haute Couture Show.

Galliano maybe known for his theatrics when it comes to his fashion shows, but one thing we all know for sure is that he produces the gowns and dresses to back him up when others have the theatrics, but not the clothes that are not even worth writing about, he consistently delivers.

Roxanne Lowit has been an integral part of the fashion world for decades and now has been given this wonderful opportunity to bring an insider perspective to the world of high glamour. Lowitts book entertains the reader with whimsical photographs that will surely become awe inspiring to the most discerning fashionista.

(Photos:Roxanne Lowit and CD)