First it was the beautiful Liya Kebede that was chosen in the fifty-seven year history of the Estee Lauder Companies ad campaigns as one of the first women of color to represent the brand, and now we have to beautiful Joan Smalls as one of the new faces. Asian beauty, Liu Wen has also been chosen as Estee Lauder follows the monumental growth of the affluent Asian market.
Pay attention marketers to the companies that feature true diversity in their ad campaigns by featuring women of color and follow suit by displaying these ad campaigns in various media outlets. Joan Smalls is now a "Top Model" whose advertisements will be global based on her appeal to all women.
Who cares if the American based fashion magazines no longer feature models on their covers? I don't care any more because I've spoken with my dollars by no longer buying them nor subscribing to them anymore. April marked the end of several magazine subscriptions and I will not be renewing them. Naomi Campbell is one bad, Chica!
She's still gorgeous as ever! When I saw that Lana was in the March issue of More magazine I couldn't help but smile because it has been a very long time since I last saw this "Super Model" modeling in any magazine. The woman with over 500 magazine covers is back to represent for the millions of glamorous women who are in full bloom, over forty and fab. She hasn't lost a thing because she still looks fabulous.
If her face looks familiar, it could be that you've seen her on the pages of Essence magazine and in other publications. Imany Mladjao is a Paris-based former Ford fashion model from the Comoros Islands who brings her own beautiful blend of blues, rock and soul to the airwaves. Lovely voice from a lovely woman.
April has been a very good month for men of style, especially those who are of African descent and happen to work in the fashion industry. First we have the great news that Olivier Rousteing has been named the new creative director of Maison de Balmain and now the brilliant Edward Enninful is the new fashion and style director at W Magazine.
Edward Enninful, is a London-based Vogue contributing fashion editor and stylist, who replaces former fashion and style director, Alex White who is leaving W Magazine after16 years. Born in Ghana, he attended Goldsmith's College, University of London, which he then left to become the fashion editor of i-D magazine and the rest is history.
Known the world over as a prolific and brilliant stylist, Edward has contributed to numerous international fashion publications, advertisement campaigns and is also a contributing fashion editor to several Conde Nast Publications, such as Vogue, Vogue Italia, Vogue Japan and has also served as the fashion editor at large for i-D magazine. Congratulations to both men on their enormous accomplishment's!
Model on the rise, Herieth Paul for Dossier Journal. Skye Parrott and Heidi Bivens created an appealing tribute to the latest fashions and new models on the rise as selected by casting director Natalie Joos in the latest issue of Dossier Journal. Sporting natural hair and makeup by Anthony Nader and Talia Sholbrook, paired with colorful outfits from the likes of Christopher Kane, Erdem and 3.1 Phllip Lim.
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Olivier Rousteing, has been named as Balmain’s new Creative Director. The designer has been an assistant designer at Balmain since 2009. He previously worked at Roberto Cavalli, designing the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear lines for the Florence-based firm. Rousteing replaces Christophe Decarnin, who officially left the job earlier this month. The House of Balmain Couture was founded in 1945 by the late Pierre Balmain, who was also considered a peer of Christian Dior and Cristobal Balenciaga. Rousteing is a graduate of the French Internationational Fashion University, Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques in Paris (ESMOD).
Tamu McPherson is one of fashions favorite street blogger's and she's also a favorite of mine who proves that fashion isn't just for the birds. As the writer and photographer of her blog, "All the Pretty Birds," Tamu is a stylish inspiration herself and personally, I find her just as stylish as many of the subjects she's known to photograph.
"Chic Enough to Beat the Cold"
I love her style because she has that air of sophistication and elegance about her that shows a simple yet elegant style without a logo intact unless it's an easily recognizable designer handbag or back pack.
Tamu not only catches the styles and trends of Europe before they hit the states, she is a subject all by herself often introducing a modern woman's view of fashion from ladylike luxury, to glamorous masculine tailoring. As a trendsetter she's known to inject pops of color into neutral palettes here and there with fabulous finishes. Tamu never disappoints.
Jamaica born, and New York bred, Tamu now lives in Milan with her husband and son.
Gloria " Goyo" Martinez of the group, ChocQuib Town:
Their name is made up of the area of where they're from, their province, Choco (Choh-KOH), and its capital, Quibdo (Keeb-DOH).
There are parts of Colombia that greets it's visitors with a kiss on both cheeks that say welcome home to African culture outside of Africa and El Chocó certainly does that. El Chocó is inhabited predominantly by the descendants of Africans brought to Colombia by the Spanish Colonizers.
Chocquib Town is a hip-hop trio from Colombia's Chocó region. Their song "De Donde Vengo Yo" (Where I Come From), won the Latin Grammy as Best Alternative Song in 2010, the song is a no-holds bared depiction of the life that occurs for people of African descent who live in the region who the media doesn't talk about; those who have lived on the land for centuries and who are now being run off of it and exploited for it's vasts resources of gold and platinum.
The members of ChocQuibTown is comprised of Slow, and his sister Goyo and her husband Tostao who formed the group in 2000. Their music is fused with traditional rhythms of the northern Pacific coast with a dose of urban hip-hop, salsa and other genres consisting of funk to reggae.
Their Grammy-nominated album "Oro" (Gold) takes on the exploitative nature of the gold trade because most Chocoanos who mine it barely make a living from it. To learn more check out their website here.
Check out the rest of Esperanza Spalding's fashion spread from the May issue of Instyle Magazine on Deana's blog, Black Beautee's to see more photos of the beautiful Grammy Award winning songstress.
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Marga Weimans is a Dutch designer who graduated from the prestigious Royal Antwerp Art Academy. Weimans’ designs evoke a mixture of her Surinamese roots meets European culture, her silhouettes are bold, colorful, outgoing and stylish while heavily based on modern contemporary art, fashion and design. Weimans is a past recipient of the i-D Styling Award at the International Talent Support Competition. Several of her designs are on display at the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands.
Her fashion shoot and styling featuring one of her designs for the January issue of i-D magazine. Because of her cultural roots, Weimans is also interested in exploring the role of women of Africa descent in the current global, and complex culture. With her collection "Source of Power Collection", Weimans gave an image of the eccentricity, political incorrectness and dignity that come to play analyzing the contemporary black woman. Marga will be a participant in the 2011 Venice Biennale( La Biennale di Venezia ). To learn more about this fantastic designer check out her website for new updates.
The trench coat is a classic that never goes out of style and is a must-have item for every well dressed woman because they prohibit you from getting drenched due to a sudden rain shower or getting frozen from the winter cold, plus they're style defining.One thing for sure is to carefully choose your trench coat in the best style for you and one that flatters your figure.
With the versatility of trench coats, a woman doesn't have to pay a fortune for a well-made trench coat since there are so many brands to choose from and also a short version is also available for wear in place of a suit jacket. I love trench coats that are made of sumptuous fabrics like silk, satin and brocade which can also be worn as an evening dress for those special occasions. Target has a very good selection of trench coats available as well as other merchants within various price points.
I'm really loving this trench coat from Tommy Hilfiger that reverts into three different looks.
Scenes from the recently held event which featured a special musical performance from Kellis.
Talk about super cute! I love this new collection by Matthew Williamson available only at MACY'S.
Macy's recently debuted the "Matthew Williamson for Impulse Only Collection," which is the second designer in the retailer's new capsule series effort. Known for his luxury fashion house and distinctive bold print and color choices, Matthew's vision brings an ultra-feminine, bohemian 70s-style to this 30-piece collection that includes evening and day-wear, featuring embellished dresses, play suits, blouses, leather jackets and printed scarves.
The limited-time Matthew Williamson collection will be available in the Impulse departments at approximately 225 Macy's stores nationwide and on their website. Items are priced on average from $50 - $120, with specialty pieces selling for up to $300. See the rest of the limited collection here.
Perfect in time for all of this great weather we're having.
It's great to see Shakara back on the scene and I must admit there has been an resurgence of many of the "Top Models" from the '80s and '90s and these women still look great! Shakara is signed with One Management. Check out CHICO'S latest ad campaign and also their new Spring arrivals here
"The vintage glamour of style icons, Naomi Sims for VOGUE 1970 and Kellie Wilson (below) for VOGUE 1969 says Spring/Summer Chic"
I'm getting ready for Spring and Summer! My garden is blooming and the weather is getting warmer and I'm ready to enjoy this beautiful weather to come and to me nothing is as versatile as the espadrille. Think of that '60s and '70s vibe.
Born out of a love for collecting beautiful things from all over the world, Theodora & Callum is an accessories-based line featuring scarves, jewelry, shoes and bags inspired by their travels. Drawing inspiration from Morocco, Bali, Turkey, India and the Mediterranean as well as the bon vivant mentality of the late 60’s and early 70’s European jet-set, each style feels as if it has been discovered in a far-off locale.
The shoes and bags, manufactured by Stuart Weitzman, incorporate the line’s signature prints, and have an international, ageless appeal. Effortlessly city or beach chic, they are certain to become classics. View the rest of the collection here.
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What inspires you to create? Is it beauty? Is it a photograph? Is it words that tend to continue to speak to you after you've read them? Is it a person? Is it the natural beauty that surrounds you?
I'm a woman that often finds myself inspired by what I see or read. I never leave home with my camera because there is always something or someone that will catch my eye.
While looking through pages of vintage VOGUE magazines this photo of former "Top Model," Charlene Dash captured my eye. In the photo she exudes the look of carefree fun in the summertime while wearing an all-white ensemble from head to toe. After being inspired by her beautiful photo, I then set out to find more of the same images that captured that same carefree exuberance.
I found the inspirational beauty in: My daughter, Ebony, Gloria “Goyo” Martínez ofChoc Quib Town,Ajak Deng, Lauryn Hill, PrincessElizabeth Bagaayaof Toro, Dihann Carroll, Billie Holiday and the other models pictured. C'est Inspiré !
The bold and the beautiful Tanzanian born model and Arise magazines model of the year, Flaviana Matata in an editorial for the magazines latest issue. Check out the rest of the editorial here.
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"Two of the Worlds Best Known "Top Models" On the Runway for Fashion Designer Giorgio Sant'Angelo, circa late 1960s"
In his heyday, Giorgio Sant'Angelo was the king of the American "boho chic" look by emulating many of the worlds indigenous peoples. From the lure of folklore on dresses with heavy embellishments of fringe and yards of flowing fabrics his signature was...Haute Hippie Chic.
Actress Drew Barrymore and P&G VP, Esi Eggleston Bracey
If you've never heard of Esi Eggleston Bracey before, then I'm sure you're quite familar with the advertising campaigns that she's been responsible for. Does any of the Cover Girl ads ring a bell? Or how about The Queen Collection? Or how about the new Old Spice ads featuring that gorgeous actor named Isaiah Mustafa? By now you should remember all of these advertisements.
Now meet the woman responsible for the outstanding increase in sales for these products, Esi Eggleston Bracey. Esi Eggelston Bracey is a 1991 graduate of Dartmouth College. The media concentrates only on the celebrities while negating those responsible for their exposure to simply being in the background without realising the real genius of remarkable women like Miss Bracey and my job is to highlight them and their accomplishments by bringing them into the forefront. Esi Eggleston Bracey-VP & GM Global Cosmetics Innovation, Branding and Operations Proctor & Gamble.
In my: 'Woman You Should Know' blog posts, I will search the world for these remarkable and talented women to give our daughters and even some of you examples of women worth emulating and aspiring to become.
Today, my fab daughter turned me on to another fashion designer who just popped up on her radar via her latest issue of Lucky Magazine. Seeing her so excited about her discovery, I quickly took a look because she knew that I'd probably love it. And love it, I do. I love that there's so many designers out here creating clothes that everyone will enjoy and I love it even more when it's high-fashion meets ethnic, cultural, tribal, African inspired or whatever you want to call it- pieces that are perfect for everyone and are quite wearable.
Inkwell is the latest brand to hit the block with their feminine silhouette's of flirty dresses, perfect for evening out or even in the office. Inkwell is the brainchild of emerging fashion designer Roslyn Johnson. Here, she mixes classic American style with elements of African heritage by using the versatile and sturdy mud-cloth fabric in her collection and nothing makes a statement better than traditional mud-cloth. Johnson is a graduate of Howard University and presently works as an Assistant Buyer at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC.
I guess when we seek someone or something we'll always find what we're looking for and everyday that I find 'them' I will post something about the women who work behind the seams, the scenes and in the boardrooms of many of the worlds global brands who many of you don't often hear about nor read about. ~Divalocity
Melissa Prospere is the VP of sales at Comme des Garçons International. Comme Des Garcons is a high end fashion line created by Rei Kawakubo. The trendy fashion line specializes in clothing for those who desire to stand out in their own individualism from the pack, plus they also produce a line of fragrances as well.
Companies ad campaigns as one of the first women of color to represent the brand, and now we have to beautiful Joan Smalls as one of the new faces. Asian beauty, Liu Wen has also been chosen as Estee Lauder 
follows the monumental growth of the affluent Asian market. 
