black women in fashion

Calling ALL Emerging/Independent Designers

2010-09-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

Are you an emerging/independent designer and/or model looking for exposure?!? Email BWIF your contact information to schedule an interview and bio on your work and future ventures. Look out later this week for our great interview with Donna Newman, owner/operator of www.flyjane.net! Donna perfectly defines how passion leads to success. Stay tuned! BWIF: Bringing you Fashion in Color.

Mary J. Blige Sets HSN Record With My Life Fragrance

2010-08-13T21:15:00.000-04:00

Mary J. Blige and Cathie Northagen of HSN sat in an absolutely beautiful and posh setting to launch Mary's My Life fragrance on HSN. Mary's first foray into fragrance with a partnership with Carol's Daughter was a proven success! According to Women's Wear Daily HSN sold $3 million dollars worth of My Life. With more than 72,000 units within a 24-hour period, My Life set a HSN record! I expect to see more fragrances from Mary J. Blige and Carol's Daughter in the future...

Halle Berry Covers Vogue September Issue

2010-08-12T21:17:00.001-04:00

Halle Berry covers Vogue's September issue - and if you know any thing about fashion - you know the September issue is THE issue! I enjoyed reading the snippets from Halle's interview, though I must say that the fact that Halle is the first black women since 1989 to cover Vogue September issue is highly disappointing...

On her first interview in three years:

Halle Berry: "I was burned-out with having other people tell the story about me that they wanted to tell. I told my publicist, 'I'm not going to talk anymore. I'm just going to live my life and be who I am.'"

On being asked to be on the cover of the September issue of Vogue:

Halle Berry: "What that means for a woman of color and what that means in the fashion world, what that means to pop culture, there was no way I could say, 'No I'm not going to be on the biggest issue of the year.'"

On the "Oscar curse":
Halle Berry: "Everybody talks about the Oscar curse," she says. "People win Oscars, and then it seems like they fall off the planet. And that's partly because a huge expectation walks in the room and sits right down on top of your head. The moment I won the Oscar, I felt the teardown the very next day. I thought, If I'm going down, I'm going down taking chances and daring to risk. Hence...Catwoman."

On her appreciation of the female body:

Halle Berry: "I love the naked female form.... I just feel like that's the most empowered position you can be in." "That comes with age," she says. "I've been slowly getting there. If the world wouldn't persecute me, I'd take nude pictures every day of the week."

On her relationship and breakup with Gabriel Aubry:

Halle Berry: "It's just that you realize you are not meant to go the distance with everybody," she says. "We were meant to bring this amazing little person into the world. And I think that's why we came together. And because of that, we are going to be together forever, all three of us. We are a family until we are not here anymore."

"We have always been friends, we're still friends, we love each other very much, and we both share the love of our lives. And we are both 100 percent committed to being the best parents we can be. And while it was not a love connection for us, he was absolutely the right person to have this child with because she is going to have an amazing father. And that was really important to me. We'll make sure we always do what is right for her and put her first. And she will see as she grows that we have a lot of love for each other."

Suzette Opara: 828 Collection At Fashion On The Hudson!

2010-07-23T13:02:00.001-04:00

BWIF had a chance to witness the New York City premiere of 828 Collection in Riverbank State Park at Fashion on the Hudson. And what a beautiful collection it was!!

Suzette Opara (left)

Suzette Opara, it's Lead Designer is a self taught designer based out in Chicago with family lineage from West Africa, Nigeria. After an inability to get work with a degree in Marketing, Suzette decided to purchase a sewing machine, play with fabrics and taught her self to sew! Enjoy our brief sit down with Suzette Opara and the images from 828 Collection.

BWIF: Tell us about 828 Collection
Suzette: The name 828 began as my birthday August 28th, however after researching I found deeper meaning to the name. It's when Dr. King gave his "I had a Dream" speech, it was the day Emmett Till was murdered and the bible verse, Roman 8:28.

BWIF: Describe the 828 customer
Suzette: She's the woman that likes to go out often, enjoys life, stand out amongst the crowd and doesn't want to see her twin. She knows her body and want works for her.

BWIF: Where do you pull inspiration
Suzette: Most of my inspiration comes from music. When I see the videos I think of what the girls should be wearing in them.

BWIF: What advice can you share with other designers who lack the traditional schooling background?
Suzette: Love what you do! Keep God first, because it will get frustrating. Know your craft! Study everything fashion, surround yourself with people in the field who can help you and you can bounce ideas off of...

Add Suzette to your Facebook friends - search Suzette Opara. www.828collection.com will launch in two weeks!

There were soo many images from this show I had to create a slide show to capture it, see it after the jump - enjoy!

Brazilian Bezel At Fashion On The Hudson

2010-07-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

Diana is the chief designer for Brazilian Bezel swim wear since it's inception in May 2008. Since this time Diana was featured in many shows including opening Fashion on the Hudson at Riverbank State Park in Harlem, New York.

I was personally very impressed by Brazilian Bezel, the swim suit silhouettes were sexy, flattering and full of color! Diana's inspiration for the collection she calls Fusion was the Caribbean seas; a fusion of vibrant colors and style. And she did not disappoint.

Check out Brazilian Bezel @ http://www.bbswimwear.com/ to make your statement on your next Caribbean vacation!

See video pictures and video footage from Fashion on the Hudson after the click.

Fast forward to :58 seconds for Brazilian Bezel Fusion collection. Video provide by www.diradiocast.com

Michi Knit Wear At Fashion On The Hudson

2010-07-23T10:39:00.000-04:00

Michelle Walden of Michi was one of the many featured designers at Fashion On The Hudson this past weekend. Her beautiful one of a kind knit wear was full of robust colors, adorned with cowrie shells and a silhouettes to fit every woman's body.

When asked about her customer and inspiration for her collection Michelle has this to say,

BWIF: Who is the Michi customer?
Michelle: A woman with confidence, enjoys being sensual yet sophisticated and feminine.

BWIF: What was your inspiration for this collection"
Michelle: Colors! I love seeing women shine and stand out

Read on for more on Michi and her advice for emerging designers!

Michi has been around for 20 years now, Michelle has maintained longevity in the business by not following trends - which is coincedentally her number 1 advice for emerging designers. Also making your work your passion, inspiration may come sometimes through trial and error but never give up!

Visit http://michiknitwear.weebly.com/showroom.html to shop! Custom orders are also welcomed!

Black Women In Fashion Attending Fashion On The Hudson!!

2010-07-17T12:53:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in postings BWIF fans! Today we're attending Fashion On The Hudson in New York City today!! This wonderful fashion show provides an excellent platform for emerging designers and others within the industry! We are exciting to be a part of the press to bring this event to you with interviews and many pictures - Stay Tuned. In the meantime, take a look at some of the work from BTE TV's Sofia Davis. It is open to the public - if you're in the city - make sure to stop by and enjoy!

Fashion on the Hudson II
Saturday July 17, @ 3pm
Riverbank State Park
W. 145th St. &
Riverside Drive

Serena Celebrates Wimbledon Win In Style

2010-07-06T23:41:00.000-04:00

Alas twas not an all Williams final but Serena proved to be the stronger of the pack, winning her 4th Wimbledon title and 13th Grand Slam title!!! Bravo Serena who celebrated her win in uber style....

I am soo looking forward to the U.S Open and if you can't tell by now my BWIF fans, I am a major tennis fan!

Kelly Rowland Wants To Launch Accessories Line Called "Faces"

2010-07-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

The fabulous Kelly Rowland sat down with MTV recently and discussed launching an accessories line of Sunglasses custom made to fit the shape of your face! Kelly also thinks that Iman was the perfect swap for Bravo's The Fashion Show...

"I would like to do a sunglasses line," she said. "[I want to] make different glasses for different face shapes and different styles. Like if you have an oval face, then you have a line for oval shapes." Does she have a name picked out? "It would be cool to name it Faces or something like that."

MTV Shows

"I'm happy that Iman is doing it," she told us. "She knows about fashion just as much as I do, if not more, because she's a model, she lives in that world. She knows what feels right, she knows how to wear it. So, she's perfect."

MTV Shows

Be Inspired: Solange Knowles

2010-07-05T14:57:00.002-04:00

I have seen excerpts of Solange's interview with Refinery 29 from many blog sites, finally I took the time to read the entire interview for myself. I must say, I was inspired by Solange's style, attitude and spirit. I can appreciate her stamping out a space for her own existence; in that process one will make errors, often say the right things in the wrong way and in general piss people off. Solange has successfully done all of these things, but I thinking the fine tuning is nearly complete. See for yourself....

Who are your style heroes?
"My mom in the '70s and '80s! She was a bad bitch. Sex and the City totally jacked her steez on the camels. I have a pic of her on a camel ride in Egypt in the '80s serving the hell out of that desert! Also, Diana Ross, The Fela Kuti Queens, Björk, '70s-era Chaka Khan, Chloë Sevigny, '90s Erykah Badu."

What's your secret style weapon?
"Shoes! I'm all about the shoes! I order a ton of them online and play with my entire wardrobe until I find the right shoe. Unfortunately, so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. The shoe is very important. I can't even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking."

Tell us a little bit about working on the new album.
"I went up to Santa Barbara, found this house on five acres in the mountains and invited a bunch of amazing musicians to come live there with me for a month and just experiment. We woke up around 10 a.m. and made music until midnight, all of course while drinking good wine, picking avocados from the trees outside to make guacamole, and maybe enjoying a joint or two. I left the process a little crazy, but I really feel like I came into my own."

Musically, how is it going to be different from your previous records?

"'80s jams for sure! Early Chaka Khan, '80s Janet Jackson, S.O.S. Band, Prince, and of course the great Michael Jackson! We went extremely natural and raw when it came down to the production. Blowing into beer bottles, playing flower vases, tapping on chairs with pencils, and even recording a house party we had for Memorial Day as a sample. My previous record was extremely inspired by '60s Motown, and was very conceptual and polished. With this record, it was completely opposite. We kind of partied our way through an album. It was all about letting loose, and the boogie was very important."

You mentioned being inspired by Janet Jackson's "Pleasure Principle" video. Janet was a famous younger sister who really carved out her own identity and sound. Do you ever feel you have to work harder to differentiate yourself from your older sis?
"If anything, I feel like if I didn't have a sister who was a huge star, no one would think twice about how I look, because they would have no one to compare it to. I would just be another gal who wears loads of vintage or counts Grace Jones as inspiration. But because I'm Beyoncé's sister, I'm an easy target to say, 'There's no way those two had the same parents, and have one be naturally this way...this has to be a ploy for her to appear cool!' It makes me want to pull out pictures of five-year-old me next to nine-year-old her wearing a tutu over polka dot stockings and an old scarf over my head. It would be so much easier for me to put on a little black dress, straighten my hair, and sing about dancing in the club, but it's not my job to prove anything. I'm here to make music, to inspire myself. I'm not selling my likability, I'm sharing my journeys. If you don't like it, believe it's real, or understand it...then keep my name out of your mouth."

You've got such unique style, would you ever consider being involved in the family fashion business, House of Deréon?
"Why thank you very much! It's funny you ask because I initially was involved as the spokesperson, but the clothes just didn't reflect my personal style and I decided to hand that over. That's the great thing about my family. We work together so closely that if something's not working out, we can be honest about it and there won't be any grudges or issues. I wrote a couple of songs on my sister's last album and if there's a line she doesn't like, she changes it and we keep on moving. I will say though, they did just do a bedding line that I am extremely in love with and I was like, 'Can I model that... in my house?'"

Read full interview at Refinery29.

Style Profile: Shala Monroque

2010-07-02T16:34:00.000-04:00

You've seen her on the pages of Bazaar and on several best dress lists with style icon status in the making. A native of my beautiful homeland, St. Lucia, girlfriend to wealthy art dealer Larry Gagosian and Editor-At-Large for Pop Magazine, Shala Monroque is confidently putting her stamp on the fashion scene. What's your favorite Shala style trait?

Your Style: NYC

2010-06-30T07:51:00.000-04:00

Get Inspired: Keep cool in black

Elle.com

Naomi Campbell Hair A Trending Topic!! - Updated With More Photos From Shoot

2010-06-30T07:46:00.001-04:00

Whether she likes it, intends for it or not, Naomi Campbell finds herself in the news for one thing or another. This time it's for her hair line! Yes, you read correctly......If anyone has paid attention, you have noticed the side of Naomi's hair is balding and we all know it's due to her weaves and other hair extensions. But I have no doubt that this fabulous woman will find a remedy whether it be wigs for life or going bald thanks to Radaronline's rendition, to keep everyone else chasing after her style! Don't you?

Rihanna Is Fresh Faced For Seventeen Magazine August 2010 Cover Shoot

2010-06-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

I like these shots for Rihanna's Seventeen magazine cover for its August 2010 issue. It's Elle over glamorized shoot, it's young, fresh and reaks of Summer! I think this is a great look for Rihanna - of course this is before the fire red hair!!

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner With Designer Tracy Reese

2010-06-28T23:12:00.000-04:00

Ever wondered how your favorite designer spends their day - well today thanks to The Cut, we have the pleasure of following girlie girl designer Tracy Reese for a few days in June. Tracy takes us through as she spends time with friends like celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson at a tasting for his new restaurant in Harlem, Red Rooster and watching her niece's recital.

Friday, June 18
I had a glass of water and a cup of coffee. I like El Pico coffee; it's one of those Spanish espresso coffees that's well-priced and always flavorful. I have a little Krups thing at home and I get busy and steam my Coffee-Mate. It's more of a latte. I had a bowl of Fiber One cereal with skim milk.

For lunch, I ordered from Hale & Hearty, as I do every day. I had a small vegetable soup, and a spinach salad with carrots, red onions, and craisins — I just love them. And there were walnuts and Cajun chicken, with vinaigrette on the side. I had a glass of water. It's hard for me to remember to drink water during the day, so I have to have a regimen.

I went to dinner with Thelma Golden, from the Studio Museum. She invited me to cocktails at her condo building, where a friend of hers has an amazing penthouse with views of Manhattan. We were up there as the sun set, and we had some lemonade-spiked cocktails. We went on to dinner right on St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, to a restaurant called Mojo. I had a really great salad, and then some sea bass that was on a bed of beautiful vegetables. Thelma had some homemade doughnuts for dessert — petite people can do these things — but I just watched. I had a glass of Chardonnay.

Read the rest of Tracy's week after the click.

Saturday, June 19
I flew to Detroit first thing in the morning, so I had Starbucks at the airport: a quad grande soy latte. When I landed, I went to my Grandmother's house and had a vegetable omelette, some fresh fruit, and turkey bacon — my uncle prepared breakfast for us. He always makes great breakfasts.
For dinner, I had a Greek salad, and then I ate the toppings off of some pizza that we ordered up at my sister's house. Detroit has a really famous Greektown; there are lots of great restaurants and it's a great place to have a good Greek salad.

Sunday, June 20
Sunday was a bad food day. I had a biscuit for breakfast with butter and syrup, so we started bad. I had a cup of coffee.
For lunch, we stopped at a place where I got a really great chicken soup and a nice salad, which I didn't get to eat because we were running late for my niece's dance recital, so it kind of melted in the car. Luckily they were selling chewy Lemonheads at the concert, so I had those.
I had a plane to catch, so for dinner I had potato chips and Cabernet — a real Weight Watchers gold star. Back in New York, I had a glass of water and pile of vitamins and went to bed.

Monday, June 20
I had a glass of cold water and my special coffee and my bowl of Fiber One. I had the exact same spinach salad for lunch and the vegetable soup.
For dinner, I was invited to a tasting with Marcus Samuelsson of things that will be on the menu at Red Rooster, at the loft of one of his business partners in Soho. Marcus prepared and talked us through the whole meal, which was amazing. We started with a watermelon salad that had fresh mint and vegetables — so good, the perfect summer salad. Then we had a grilled-shrimp appetizer that was sort of barbecued, and was on a bed of couscous or a similar grain. He made fried chicken and collard greens, which was great. He uses some kind of panko instead of bread crumbs, so it was really light, but it was spicy too. Dessert was a fruit tart–like crumble thing, and he roasted some Ethiopian coffee beans right there in front of our faces and made coffee; that was really cool. He was such a gracious host.

Tuesday, June 21
Water, coffee, and Fiber One for breakfast, and then my famous lunch. It serves me well.
For dinner, I went to Momoya for sushi. I had a field-greens salad, and we split the warm mushroom salad which is one of my all-time favorite things there. It's a mixture of wild mushrooms and they sautée them with a hint of butter, and then lay them on a bed of greens with some citrus. It's really delish. I had yellowtail sashimi and king salmon sashimi, and an eel and avocado roll with brown rice. I had a glass of Sancerre — they recommended that wine to me the first time I was there, and it's a perfect match. And then I had a piece of gum because I had sushi breath.

Wednesday, June 22
Another classic morning and afternoon, with breakfast and lunch exactly the same. I try to stick to a regimen on weekdays, but things go all to hell on the weekend — you're thinking, Well, corn chips and hummus would be really good, and then all of a sudden that's lunch. Or dinner. Or sometimes breakfast.
We went to see Fela! on Broadway, and wanted to eat close to the theater. My sister-in-law recommended Capital Grille; I had a green salad and then some lobster and crab cakes — those were amazing. These big chunks of lobster claw, real crab, hardly any filler. I had a glass of Chardonnay, which was a recommendation from our waiter whose name was Ed Sullivan — that's the truth! He was great.
At the theater, we split some peanut M&Ms. They invite you to drink at your seat during the show — they have these teeny-tiny glasses of wine — and they make this announcement of, "The bar is open during act one and intermission, and we invite you to drink at your seat." I just had a bottle of water; I didn't go for the wine. I like to be alert through a show, and if I have more than one beverage, it's not gonna happen.

Can you tell anything about Tracy through her diet??

The Cut.

Naomi Campbell Even More Beautiful At 40!

2010-06-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

We know Naomi has never been shy about showing her gorgeous figure for all to see. So this shoot by Steven Meisel is no real surprise but it would be disingenuous of us not to put out a manifesto that this woman is 40years old!!!

Be prepared for nudity beyond this page!

Fashiongonerogue

Sedene, Jeneil, Shena, Reina & Aminata for Vogue Russia

2010-06-22T23:28:00.000-04:00

Models Reina Montero, Jeneil Williams, Sedene Blake, Shena Moulton and Aminata Niaria are a picture of perfection in this shot for Vogue Russia July 2010 - it is breathtaking! The contrast of the colors against their beautiful skin and the personalities that shines through makes this spread a winner! Bravo to Vogue Russia who also did the all-model issue with Naomi Campbell in April

Fashiongonerouge

Venus Channels Tina Turner For Wimbledon Dress

2010-06-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Venus Williams wants all eyes on her again at Wimbledon! The games began on Monday and Venus made a splash in her first round win. While in London, Venus attended Ralph Lauren's New Bond Street store opening and had this to say about her outfit:

“I know that the French Open outfit look caused a stir, but I think the one I will wear in the next couple days will be better yet—it’s all about lace and fringes, a lot of fringes. I’m thinking about Tina Turner here. I am not sure how that is going to go over, but at least I can say that it will catch everyone’s attention.”

No doubt, all the attention is on Venus - now let's see an All-Williams final!!!

Style.com

Jumpsuits: Resort 2011

2010-06-18T13:33:00.000-04:00

Malandrino

If you view less than 10 Resort 2011 Collections you will soon notice one trend that will certainly jump right out: Jumpsuits! Every chic woman knows that it takes a very confident woman to pull off a one piece such as a jumpsuit. Luckily the designers gave us options from old classic/Bill Blass, metallic rocker/Malandrino to comfortable drape/Donna Karan. Take a look and tell us which one you would dare to wear!

Bill Blass

Donna Karan

Sneak Peak at Resort 2011 Collections

2010-06-18T08:27:00.001-04:00

Enjoy a sneak peak of the Resort Collection by Cynthia Rowley, Isaac Mizrahi and Suno. I choose pieces from beautiful African prints to easy summer looks and of course clothed on the back of a model in COLOR!! Hopefully, I will find more as the collections are presented.

Sedene Blake & Ayan Elmi Does Beauty For Vogue Italia

2010-06-12T08:26:00.001-04:00

Can you imagine a beautiful day with your girlfriend at the most serene beach on a pristine Saturday afternoon?

If that is too hard for you to imagine, then allow models Sedene Blake and Ayan Elmi to tell the story. Photographed by Greg Lotus for Vogue Italia's monthly beauty supplement, the perfectly gorgeous models make you want every bit of the experience for yourself with all the beauty included!

YaYa Dacosta Is One Of Esquire's Women Of Summer 2010

2010-06-08T22:59:00.000-04:00

Do you remember YaYa from America's Next Top Model? Who could forget her! She was the candidate filled with confidence, uber gorgeous and a little bit of nerd - you know - the girl I wanted to win. Alas YaYa was the runner-up but she's made a bit of dent in the industry all the same. She's acted along side heavy weights like Danny Glover in The Messenger and Annette Benning in her upcoming film The Kids Are All Right.

YaYa is featured in Esquire's women of Summer 2010 and it looks like she didn't miss one day of pilates!!

The Color Of Beauty by Elizabeth St. Philip

2010-06-05T00:35:00.003-04:00

I came across a beautiful gem while browsing through some industry news that I would like to share. I believe the story broke last month but it's certainly not to late to share! The Colour of Beauty by Elizabeth St. Philip: a short poignant documentary that is less than 20 minutes long, explores race politics inside the fashion industry, particularly casting for New York Fall Fashion Week. The protagonist is Renee Thompson who has modeled for 10years around the world but moved to New York in hopes of reaching super model status. Renee believes in her self and is heart-breakingly determined despite the pitfalls along the way. At the end her dream to walk in New York Fashion Week was not realized but she continues on.

You can also view video here if the video above is not working. Give us your take on this documentary - if you're active in the industry - share your experiences with us!

Joe Zee of Elle's Tips For New Designers

2010-06-04T23:58:00.001-04:00

New designer co-signed by Andre Leon Talley - Laquan Smith

Joe Zee the Creative Director at Elle may be hungry for publicity to put up with Olivia on the popular MTV reality program The Hills. But on Elle.com he has some sound advice for new designers:

The #1 point I always stress to young designers is POINT OF VIEW. I’ve seen so many young designers come and go because they were busy trying to chase the trends of the moment versus doing something that was innately their strength. If you are true to yourself, others will take note. Otherwise, everyone can smell a fake a mile away. I have to believe the clothes I see. Take for example, someone like Marc Jacobs. (Yes even he was considered a young designer at one point.) When Marc showed his infamous grunge collection for Perry Ellis, it was a turning point in his career. He may have lost his job over it, but by sticking to his point of view, he gained a legion of loyal fashion followers instead, and that collection remains one of the most talked about today, even 20 years later---and that collection was ultimately very Marc. Then you have someone more recent like Jason Wu, who has taken his refinement and elegance to a new level, doing important, history-making dresses for the First Lady. You can always tell when Mrs. Obama is wearing a chic Wu. Again, point of view.

Your Style: NYC

2010-05-31T00:49:00.002-04:00

Get Inspired

Courtesy of Elle.com