Keepingitreal

Recession or not, black women's hair a priority

We all saw her at the Inauguration, and even on Election Day, Michelle Obama's healthy flowing locks have inspired black women across the country to step their hair care game up. Since the days of Madam C.J Walker, black hair care has been a priority among African-American women and a lot of consideration has gone into choosing the right hair care experts. According to a survey conducted by Design Essentials, majority of African-American women base their salon and stylist choice on trust, cost and time consumption. With the recent state of the economy, affordable hair care is harder to find but women have stayed committed to their hair regimen. Johnny Wright, Mrs. Obama's hairstylist has been taming the first lady's locks for a little over a year now, but became her full-time stylist just in time for the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. Wright's services keep Michelle's hair the envy of African American women everywhere; but by no means are they cheap.   
Black hair care has always managed to fit into the budget and while some may think it would be the first to go, studies have shown that despite the present economic state of America and the price spike at most salons, Black women are still flocking to their hairdressers to keep up with routine maintenance. "Some weekly clients have changed to every other week. But the majority of clients have been keeping up with their appointments," said Britney Adams, a stylist at New Image Salon in Harvey, Louisiana. Shalonda Armstrong, Director of Marketing at Design Essentials, has found in the recent Design Essential Mane Attraction Survey that 36 percent African-American respondents have decreased visits to the salon, and have admitted going only when they can afford it. SOURCE:LOUISIANA WEEKLY

Iman: the Beauty of Business...

Her Highness Still Rules

The back seat of a stretch limo making a tight turn is no place to stick a pencil in your eye, but Queen Latifah didn’t flinch. En route to a meeting at Cover Girl, where she is the face — and the name — of its Queen Collection (makeup for women of color), she did a quick touch-up. Peering into the mirror she had pulled down from the car’s ceiling, she stretched her lower lid and, as the car swerved to the left, drew a perfect line inside it. I squinted at the pencil. “Is that Cover Girl?” I asked. “Yup,” she said, without moving her eye from the mirror. “As far as you’re concerned.” I laughed as she dropped it quickly into her bag and pulled out a thick orange tube of Lash Blast mascara instead. “This is Cover Girl,” she said.With or without makeup, Latifah’s face is at the center of her fortune. With her almond-shaped eyes and sweeping cheekbones, she could have been painted by Gauguin, though her beauty is recognizably her own, animated by a warmth, humor and innate self-confidence most women would kill for. Her stardom, in movies and television, has come from her gifts at playing the underdog or the outsider, the thick girl in body only, whose heart and brain are her best defense against the villainously rich, skinny and cutthroat. You can’t help rooting for her.During the two days I spent with Latifah, I watched people respond to that distinctive face with the inevitable double-takes — on the street, on the train, in the office — with their own yelps of excitement and delight. Hers is a story many of them know well. Dana Owens of Newark was raised Baptist and named herself Latifah as a child, after learning it was Arabic for “delicate, sensitive and kind.” At 38, she has already had numerous careers. She released her first album, “All Hail the Queen,” at 19, which, with its hit single, “Ladies First,” established her as rap music’s top female artist, proclaiming a message of self-respect and female empowerment in a genre famous for its misogyny. She won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1994 and was nominated six other times, including for the jazz-vocal “Dana Owens Album,” which went gold. In December she will release a new rap CD produced by Cool and Dre. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Models have the right moves at Passport show

With the addition of numerous dance numbers - there were as many dancers as models on the runway - quick-paced catwalk segments and a new, manly (with a wink) way to present the men's underwear segment, Wednesday night's energetic Passport fashion show and fundraiser flew by. (Gala night - which also included a lengthy live auction - took place Thursday, with an appearance by Tommy Hilfiger).Sweaty acrobatic dancing, as TV ratings prove, is a crowd pleaser. Passport, the annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser now in its 26th year, had tons of that, choreographed for the third year by Brian Friedman, who has worked with Britney Spears, Prince, Usher and others. Making his first appearance as guest choreographer was Alex Da Silva from Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" reality show, who performed a wild, spinning salsa dance number with his partner. As always, the crowd at the first night's American Express-sponsored event just wanted to have fun, and they whooped and cheered in all the right places. New to Passport his year were a series of straight-up Financial District suits by Alfani Red, Macy's private-label manufacturer, worn by a group of dancers who shimmied down a big metal staircase to the tune of "Putting on the Ritz." Actress Merilee Brasch, in full-on Marilyn Monroe finery, introduced the Ed Hardy segment by blowing kisses and pouting perfectly. Also new this year were a '60s-inspired Mod segment with clothes by Ben Sherman; tarty, sparkly minidresses with glitter tattoo-like designs from Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier, and a hip-hop dance number performed by buff guys in black-and-white Keith Haring graffiti jeans that were manufactured only for the Passport shows. The show opened with the Oakland pop band the Lovemakers setting the fast, thumping pace, as all-American sportswear - like white wide-leg pants worn with a floaty red blouse, preppy argyle sweaters and double-breasted blazers - by Tommy Hilfiger was trotted out. (Hilfiger's line is now sold only at Macy's and his own boutiques.) An all-black punk segment was timely, given the new "Gothic Glam" show at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Models wore exaggerated faux Mohawk wigs with their black minis, biker jackets, tight jeans, latex leggings, piles of long chain jewelry and knee-high flat combat boots, styled by Macy's Women's Fashion Director Tifani Wilt, who selected all the women's clothing; the menswear segments were put together by Macy's men's fashion director, Durand Guion. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM CHECK OUT THE VIDEO FROM THE SHOW

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L’Oreal denies lightening Beyonce’s skin in ad

Cosmetics giant L’Oreal is denying it lightened Beyonce’s skin tone in an ad. “We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L’Oreal Paris altered Ms. Knowles’ features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair color,” the Paris-based company said in a statement sent to the Associated Press through the singer’s representative. The ad is in the current edition of Elle magazine. L’Oreal, the maker of Garnier hair care and Lancome cosmetics, is the world’s largest cosmetics maker. A representative for Beyonce said the singer would have no comment beyond L’Oreal’s statement. (Continue Reading…)

SPEEDO SUNDAYS: MADE IN BRAZIL

DJ Micky Friedmann photographed by Fábio Motta for the new issue of Junior magazine, which hits newstands in Brazil tomorrow.

NELLY: NEW FACE OF SEANJOHN UNDERWEAR

SPEEDO SUNDAYS: MADE IN BRAZIL

The Story of The Supremes from the Mary Wilson Collection

13 May – 19 October 2008 ~ The performance costumes of The Supremes, one of the most successful groups of all time, are on display at the V&A this summer. On show are over fifty outfits that chart the changing image of the group, from their dresses in the early days as The Primettes, to the glamorous Hollywood designs  worn at the height of their fame.The display includes costumes worn by the original Supremes - Mary Wilson, Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, as well as the 70s Supremes. It examines how the group was carefully styled by Berry Gordy and his Motown associates to appeal to the widest possible audience.The Supremes recorded 12 US No.1 hits between 1964 and 1969, including an unprecedented five consecutive chart toppers. Set against the backdrop of the meteoric rise of Motown Records and of the American civil rights movement, the exhibition explores the inspirational role The Supremes played in changing racial perceptions, and their influence on today’s performers.Based on the collection of Mary Wilson, the display features the group’s music, album covers and archive performance footage as well as new video interviews with Wilson and Maxine Powell, Motown’s in-house Artist Development Director.This is a V&A exhibition in collaboration with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum . Click on the links below for information, resources, events and activities based around the exhibition. SOURCE:V&A

Banksable

Tyra Banks has 275 smiles. Like a star athlete who has perfected a jump shot or a curveball, Banks has studied, honed and mastered the smile. In her arsenal are the “surprise smile,” the “angry but still smiling” smile, the “flirting with boyfriend” smile and the “commercial” smile, which, like the rest of Tyra’s smiles, was designed and perfected when Banks, who is now 34, began modeling at 15. From the start of her career, when she was virtually plucked from an all-girl Catholic high school in Los Angeles and whisked off to Paris, to her days as a mass-market first-name-only supermodel strutting the catwalk in her underwear for Victoria’s Secret, Banks always treated modeling as a kind of beautiful science. Then, and now, the smiles were her secret weapons: they could compel, manipulate, seduce. Banks did not become a model to be a muse to designers or because she loved fashion. Modeling — and smiling — was a skill that could, if engineered and managed carefully, change the course of your life. “Smiles come naturally to me, but I started thinking of them as an art form at my command,” Banks told me. “I studied all the time. I looked at magazines, I’d practice in front of the mirror and I’d ask photographers about the best angles. I can now pull out a smile at will.” Banks, who was wearing wide-leg jeans and a belted khaki trench coat that accentuated her height and her curves, demonstrated her most famous smile, the “smile with eyes.” Her catlike green eyes narrowed and began to sparkle and her lips slowly parted to reveal a row of perfect teeth. The smile was a little masklike and yet accessible. “Do you see?” she said, while still smiling. “You can try it, too.” It was around 2 p.m. on a clear, crisp day in April and Banks was standing near a subway entrance at Union Square in Manhattan, about to shoot a special out-of-the-studio segment for the 500th episode of her talk show, to be broadcast later that month. In the fall, Banks will have three shows on the air, two of which she created and all of which she produced. Her talk show, “The Tyra Banks Show,” which had its premiere in 2005, is on every weekday (it is shown twice a day in many markets, including Los Angeles and New York) and her nighttime reality competition, “America’s Next Top Model,” the most successful show on the CW network, is entering its 11th 13-week cycle. “Top Model,” which pits would-be models against one another, is syndicated in more than 100 countries and has given birth to Banks’s newest venture, “Stylista,” the first show in which she will not appear and which features 11 aspirants competing to become a fashion editor at Elle magazine. Like her hero, Martha Stewart, Banks wants, most of all, for her name to immediately suggest a distinct point of view. Her brand, like her trademark “tough but still smiling” smile, is consistent in all her shows: serious about the frivolous; empathetic and empowering; and always, always aimed at young women, across all races. It’s girly TV with a punch. Banks asked Hillary Clinton about her body image (“Does Senator Hillary Clinton look in the mirror and go, ‘I want it to be better’?”), her first date with Bill and her ambition to change the world. She played basketball with Barack Obama but also asked him to gaze into a crystal ball and tell her what he saw in his future (he said “the White House”). And while the contestants on “Top Model” may only long to be famous, Banks chides and lectures them (while wearing a low-cut dress) about having a strong work ethic and the vagaries of the fashion business. Banks understands that her audience — which is young and therefore coveted by advertisers — wants both to identify with her and to be inspired, and she has cast herself as their role model/teacher/fun friend. Continue Reading......

FIRST LOOK: Tia Mowry's Wedding Photo

Actress Tia Mowry looked stunning at her elegant nuptials to actor Cory Hardrict on Sunday. In this first photo, exclusive to PEOPLE, the newlyweds glow as Hardrict puts his hand around his new bride, who wore a couture gown by Kevan Hall. The former Sister, Sister star and her husband tied the knot at the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore Santa Barbara in front of 170 guests over the weekend. (For more details and photos of the wedding, pick up the next issue of PEOPLE magazine, on newsstands Friday.)

Diddy Is 'King' At New York Fashion Week, Celebrating 10 Years Of Sean John

NEW YORK — When you've risen the ranks from intern to CEO, introduced the world to the greatest rapper of all time and had numerous records hit #1 on the charts, it's safe to say that you've achieved quite a bit in yourSo putting together a Sean John fashion show should be no sweat for Diddy, right? Well, last Thursday, the flashy mogul was making last-minute decisions on outfits, squeezing in interviews with everyone from Fashion TV to E!, and his BlackBerry was buzzing more than rumors of Jay-Z's next album. And this was all before "Days of Our Lives" aired. (That's 2 p.m. for those not in the know.) You can't blame Diddy for paying extra attention to detail, though. Friday evening was the first Sean John Collection show at New York Fashion Week in five years, and it also marked the 10th anniversary of his clothing line. Diddy, along with Marc Jacobs, was tapped to close out the over-the-top week. "I try my best to not be a crowd pleaser," Diddy told MTV News. "So I'm not trying to have too many tricks that go on. But at the same time, it's a show. It's going to be the way I present myself, and my style is a little bit different than other designs. I don't know if I'm gonna [be able to] turn water into wine, but I'm gonna definitely turn it into some Kool-Aid." No doubt, his show had flavor. Q-Tip, Tyson Beckford and vibe magazine fashion director Memsor Kamarake were just a few of the notables in attendance at Cipriani's in Midtown Manhattan, where the theme for the show was the "The Story of a King," and Diddy more than lived up to the billing. The Sean John preview was a blitz of men's fashion, from stylish sweaters to suits to casual wear, featuring mostly muted gray and black tones and tailored cuts. Diddy also featured the first all-black model cast in New York Fashion Week history. "It's been a long journey, 10 years, [and] there's peaks and valleys," Diddy said. "You have some good years and bad years, but we've had a loyal customer, and we've stayed true to who we are. And I think that's one of the things that's gotten us this far. And to now be one of the stars of Fashion Week — there's a lot of designers that have shows, but there's not a lot of headliners, and we're considered headliners. So we're up there with the same respect level on the show side with a Ralph Lauren, a Calvin Klein, a Marc Jacobs. And that's a dream come true. It started out as something small, but [we] always had dreams to be something big." SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Naomi: Fashion industry more racist

She told The London Paper: “Women of colour are not a trend. That’s the bottom line. It’s a pity that people don’t always appreciate black beauty. In some instances, black models are being sidelined by major modeling agencies.”She continued: “Fashion needs to go back to the way it used to be when wonderful designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace and Azzedine Alaia just had a great line-up of beautiful women - white, black, Chinese, Hispanic.” Campbell, 37, admitted that her supermodel pals helped her career by taking a stand against racism.“Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington would go to big designers and say, ‘If you don’t pick Naomi to be in your show, then I don’t want to be in it’,” she recalled. “The only reason I got the cover of French Vogue was because Yves Saint Laurent called up and told them he’d pull his ads if they didn’t.” The Streatham-born star spoke out after her former boss admitted racism was still rife in the industry.Carole White, head of the Premier model agency and who represented Campbell for 17 years, said: “A black girl has to be perfect to get work. The bookers are told, ‘Don’t send any ethnic girls’. “I showed a picture of a new black girl to an agent in Milan, and he actually recoiled. He said, ‘We don’t have black girls in Milan. It’s impossible.’”Supermodel Naomi Campbell says the fashion industry is more racist than ever. Campbell hit out at the lack of black faces on magazine covers and catwalks. SOURCE OF THIS STORY

Calling All Queens!: CoverGirl Queen Casting Call

Ever wonder if you have what it takes to be a Cover Girl? Well, now is your chance to find out. Last year, CoverGirl partnered with Queen Latifah to introduce the new Natural Hue Foundation – compact foundation that matches up to 97% of skin tones from Rich Sand to True Ebony. Now, CoverGirl has launched the New Vibrant Hue Lipsticks in 21 shades of high voltage color with two distinct finishes - rich and creamy or sheer and shiny! In order to select the faces for their next campaign, Queen Latifah and CoverGirl have launched an online casting call to find the next group of remarkable women to represent the CoverGirl Queen Collection. Now it’s your chance to be one of these inspiring women! Simply visit the CoverGirl Queen Casting Site at http://www.everywomanisaqueen.com/exclusives.do and register for the contest. All you need to do is upload your photo and share your story – explaining what limitations you have overcome in your life. The winner will be selected by Queen Latifah herself and will be featured in a CoverGirl advertorial in a major magazine!!Women are encouraged to enter the casting call online at www.everywomanisaqueen.com.

Denzel Covers Men's Vogue

Denzel Washington is featured on the cover of the November issue of Men's Vogue and talks Malcolm X to Training Day to American Gangster. "I like seeing other people do well. I think that's why I coach and work with kids," he says. "Maybe it's because of where I am at this point in my life. 'Cause I'm straight, I'm cool. Coming from the theater, I never thought I would be where I am. I never wanted it."
Read the full article at MensVogue.com

Black Looks: ANTM Grad Makes Good

America's Next Top Model' alumn Danielle Evans is actually enjoying a modeling career after the show. She was the first winner to have her contract renewed by CoverGirl, and is now featured in CoverGirl's eyewear campaign. Looking good, Dani!

Essence This Month

The Sweet Smell of Success

Diddy beat out Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein to win the prestigious Fragrance Foundation (Fifi) Award for his Unforgivable. The Fifi Awards are the Oscars of the fragrance industry. Michael Jordan and Sean Combs are the only African American men in history to win this award. Also, this week NPD released the annual reporting of fragrance sales revealing that Unforgivable is #1 for the year. Unforgivable beat all other fragrances both men’s and women’s’; a rare feat for a men’s fragrance. Unforgivable Woman will launch this September in conjunction with the Sean John Women’s clothing line. He thought he told you he wouldn’t stop… making you smell good. SOURCE OF THIS POST

Janet Looking Fabulous