D+O+P+E= The Nike iD Studio

The Nike iD Studio on Elizabeth Street in NYC is the only studio in the United States that offers the public a chance to design their own exclusive pair of Nikes. THE CATCH: You have to be selected from an online lottery system, know someone who works there, or offer them your first born child! Nike.com offers customers to design sneakers also...but the studio offers exclusive sneaker styles and colors.

Note: Just to be totally fair....there is a Nike iD Studio in LA but it's not open to the public (Translation: only stars or entourage members get to partake). Other than the NYC Studio the only studio of it's kind is in Tokyo, Japan.

Sooo, this is how the story goes:

I heard about the ubber-exclusive Nike iD Studio through a co-worker and thought it would be an amazing birthday gift for The Boy (aka my boyfriend,,,aka The One....aka you get the picture). I figured I had enough juice to produce an appointment, but I truly under estimated the gravity and exculsivity of the Nike iD Studio.

I tried everything! Not only is there no number listed for the Studio....but I even called the Nike Corporate office out in Oregon and they didn't even know the number (or they just didn't think I was important enough to have that info....baaaa humbug)!

But miracles NEVER cease and while standing in the line for the Spring 2007 fashion show for Baby Phat this past September with one of Rah's super fabulous friends, I found out that one of the many wonderful things that she does (which neither Rah or I knew) is..........schedule appointments at the Nike iD Studio!!!!!

So, needless to say I booked Rah an appointment, except this time for his X-mas gift. The Studio was closed in January so we just had our appointment this past friday...the optimal word being "WE!" I was fortunate enough to make a pair too!



The Studio features a different sneaker AND color palette every few months. This way you know you'll be rocking kicks that no one else will have. During our trip they were featuring low and high-top Dunks with varsity colors ( 8 colors that make up the university varsity sport teams in the country).

As you walk into the Studio you are warmly greeted and immediately asked "Do you have an appointment?" Bascially you can't stay if you don't have a schedule. Damn!

After we made it past the gates, we were taken into the design room. The layout was more like an expensive living room in an ultra modern house, complete with three LCD monitors built into the wall...plush low-to-the-ground furniture and shag rugs...and book shelves filled with hip-hop, and urban culture books for inspiration!



There are three working stations where the creation of your sneaker takes place. After being served complimentry beverages and comfortably relaxing onto the couch, Rah and I tinkered around on the computer for about an hour. It was sooooo much fun. You can literally change the color of everything on the shoe. I felt like an urban Manolo Blahnik! We even got to personalize our sneakers ( I put "Julee" on the side of each shoe).

Take a look at a computer generated image of the product...I know, it's a little WILD but I figured this may be a once in a lifetime opprotunity so I might as well do it B-I-G!



The sneakers will arrive in 4 weeks...I can't wait! I'll put up a NEW pic once they come in!

Check out these sites to customize your own sneakers on Nike.com AND to place your name on the list to be considered for the Nike iD Studio:

*Nike Website: http://nikeid.com

*Nike iD Studio Request: http://nikeid.nike.com/nikeid/index.jhtml?_requestid=21642889


Love and Light,

Last day of Fashion Week...

Fashion Week officially ends today (shed a few tears) and what a week it was! It looks like Fall/Winter 2007 is going to be a very stylish season!



After attending TWENTY FIVE shows and endless nights of reviewing collections on Style.com and NYT.com...I've compiled the following list of trends/looks that will be HOT HOT HOT this Fall. Take notes and be prepared to rock the most fabulous looks before everyone else.

1) SATIN: This luxurious fabric was flooding the runways and good thing...becasue I LOVE it. Satin is one of those fabrics that both make you look good and feel good. Start stocking up!

2) SEQUINS/RHINESTONES: Bling bling! You can shine too much this Fall.

3) SKINNY PANTS: I thought these would be long gone for Fall, but the voluminous top and super-skinny bottom were all over the runway. Now if I could just fit into a pair :o/

4) FUR: I know I know....it might not be the most politically correct fashion statement. However, it looks soo darn good (and will keep the chill out). I respect whatever choice an indivdual makes when it comes to wearing fur.

5) COLOR: Don't be afraid of bright colors this Fall. The deisgner added a bit of splash to the always somber Fall pallette. I saw a lot of cobalt blue, royal purple and electric pink.

6) PATENT LEATHER: Sleek and shiny, patent leather is making a resurgance into the fashion forefront. The trick is to wear it in moderation and with confidence.

Check out the slide show of these top trends....

If you love jeans, then I'm sure you've heard of the premium jean company ROCK AND REPUBLIC.
Well, apparently they make a lot more than just jeans. Here is a clip from the shoes finale...This was like no other show I've seen. What models walk down the runway drinking alcohol and spitting it on the ground? Crazy!


Here is the Rock and Republic invite...interesting, huh? The credit card comes off and was the pass to the Afterparty. I didn't attend the party, but I heard it was amazing!




One of my favorite shows this season came from a relatively unknown designer from Australia... TONI MATICEVSKI
The clothes don't really reflect my personal style, yet, I think the collection was interesting and actually made me think. Gotta love a designer that makes you think about their philosophy rather then just where you're going to wear the clothes.



If I did have to pick one thing I LOVED from his collection were these shoes/boots. They are actually heels with an attachment that make them look like boots. FIERCE!!!!!!



Here is a video from the FRONT ROW (thanks KK) of the Maticevski show:



Now for...

WHAT'S IN THAT SWAG BAG?-Part 2

Check out what the designers are giving out at their shows. And yes, I do share :o) Who's up for a wax??

Tracy Reese gift bag: A free max (so fresh and so clean:o), Hue by Tracy Reese tights, Mally makeup, Cingular cell phone bling kit, Sally Hansen nail polish, FHI heat hair serum, 10% off coupon to the Tracy Reese Boutique.


Vivienne Tam gift bag: A "YEAR OF THE PIG" t-shirt




Atil Kutoglu gift bag: A beautiful Atil scarf


Love and Light...

What's in that Swag Bag??

No one LOVES a GIFT BAG more than me! If you're curious to know what the designers are giving out during the shows, then look no further....I've got the scoop!!!

Here are just a few of the gift bags that have been given out under the tents. I'll have more over the next few days!

The PEGAH ANVARIAN gift bag:
Hue over-the-knee socks, a free wax at Completely Bare and 25% off of a spa treatment at the ubber-chic Exhale spa on Central Park South!


The LACOSTE Gift:
Umbrella with cool golfball handle! (They usually give out a different tote bag each year...but this is nice too)


The BETSEY JOHNSON gift bag:
(clockwise from the center) Chambord liqueur, a perfume sample, Redken hair gel, Redken hair serum, lip balm, Eboost vitamin powder, and a very sexy thong!



Love and Light...

More Fashion Week: ODLR and Betsey Johnson

(My friend Jennifer Chan (assistant editor@ Instyle.com) and I)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to The Little Black Girl That Could!!!!!!!

It was exactly ONE YEAR ago that I started this blog. It was immediately after my first Oscar de la Renta show. The beauty, the excitment and unforgetable experience of it all was so amazing that I just had to write it all down. Hence the birth of this blog.

I only hope that my stories inspire others to take a leap of faith and follow their dreams. I have done just that. I'm no where near where I aspire to be....but I'm having a great time on my way!

*****Enjoy and please share your own stories/thoughts under "comments." And THANK YOU so much for reading :o)****

WELL, back to the shows!!!!!!!! (This is where Fashion Week takes place...The Tent at Bryant Park)



OSCAR DE LA RENTA.....aka the Master!

The show was impeccable! Oscar makes everyone look like amatuers!

Celebrities are scarce at Oscar's show (Anderson Cooper, Barbara Walters and a few others). The real stars are those who 99.9% of the population don't know. These individuals make up high-society New York.



Tinsely Mortimer to Tory Burch...The Gettys to the Vanderbilts. Oscar's show is made of pure money! Many of the women who attend had mothers that wore ODLR, now they wear Oscar and so do their daugthers (three generations of fabulousity). It's a Park Avenue food chain made up of glitz, glam and green!

It's quite the honor to have the chance to attend. Each season I attend with a dear friend who is close with Oscar's family, so I get to sit in the friends and family seciton. This was my third ODLR show and yet again I was "The Little Black Girl That Could," standing out in a sea of porcelin skin and perfectly blowout manes. Hopefully I'll be catalyst that changes this homogenous atmosphere.

Here are some pics from ODLR expereince....Complete with videos and MS. WINTOUR!!!!!!!!!
*Check out my favorite ODLR looks in the slide show on the left side of the page

Here is Barbara Walters arriving at the tents:



Actress Camilla Belle and ME!!



Of course Andre Leon Talley (my imaginary God Father) was there...wearing a flashy Kimora Lee Simmons' jacket, She showed it at the Baby Phat show and personally delivered it (in her Bentely no less) to ALT the next morning.



Watch the finale of Oscar's masterpiece:



Here Oscar is speaking with Barabara Walters after the show:




BETSEY JOHNSON...Every girls' BFF

The school of charm is in session and Betsey Johnson is the teacher of the year! Betsey presented a collection centered around the idea of charm school and that's exactly what she did...charmed!



The dresses were positivley wonderful. The ruffles, frills and every other girly detail you can think of were not forgotten. Betsey knows how to dress a woman that wants attention and to be told how "cute" they look. Count me in!

Here are my favorite outfits (courtsey of www.Style.com):







Betsey's front rows were made up of tea tables with silver sets and all....how appropriate for Charm School:



Aubrey from Danity Kane was there....and she gladly posed for me (wearing Betsey of course)!



Video of the show's finale....AND Betsey's signature cartwheel! Special Guest: Betsey's granddaugther....TOO CUTE!




Love and Light....

Diane von Furstenberg does it again!

I'm sure it comes as no surpirse that Diane von Furstenberg was one of the best shows I viewed this past weekend. Her impecable understanding of how a dress should be made and in turn how it should make you feel is what has kept her in the spotlight and in closets for so long.

DvF's fall 2007 collection was entirely made up of dresses....not one pair of pants was sent down the runway...and I loved it! What is easier than slipping on the perfect dress? Nothing....in my humble opinion. Dresses are an instant outfit and you look put together everytime...without the effort! DvF incorporated spanish influences and an electirc color palette to her signiture style. And, I don't know how she does it, but she manages to re-invent the wrap dress year after year. Genius!!!!!

Here are some of my favorite looks courtesy of Style.com:









My View (aka from my camera):






Video of the procession at the end of the show and the one...the only... DIANE:



On the Scene.......
This daper man is a permanent fixture at Fashion Week. Every season he comes out dressed to the 9's....and as you can see he is not playing around! Supposedly he is a tailor in the city, yet there is no soild proof. Regardless, he is quite the character! Enjoy...



I'll be back tomorrow with more!!

Love and Light...

Gotta love the black women designers!

The weekend is finally over and I have managed to take in FIFTEEN fashion shows since Friday! Your girl has been BUSY. I'm exhausted!!!! BUT, it's all in the name of Fashion (and of course the Lord)!

Since it is Black history month, I decided to start my reviews with BABY PHAT and (my all time favorite) TRACY REESE! Gotta love the black women designers!

BABY PHAT:

I have to give Ms. Kimora an A for effort. This season she debuted her KLS line, which is a more "sophisticated" and "upscale" line compared to Baby Phat. If you know anything about my fashion asthetic, you would know that Baby Phat is the furthest thing from what my closet would hold. There are always too many bells and whistles on the clothing, aka: studs, chains, faux fur, feathers and whatever else she can find. I perfer clean lines, unique shilohettes and clothes you can actually breath in. However, with all that said I was kind of impressed by the KLS line. I think it has a lot of protential and I look forward to seeing how it does.

Here are some looks I love... courtesy of NYmag.com and my camera!
(also check on the video clip of the show in my last post...ah, walk it out):








The legendary...Alek Wek



Kimora and her girls at the closing of the show:



YIKES! Here are some of Kimora's front row occupants:

Brit Brit....looking a Mess Mess!



Ms. J.... Enough said.



Ice-T and Coco...cute (at least I think)




TRACY REESE:

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE!!! In my eyes Tracy Reese can do No wrong. This show is always beautiful, refined and classic. Tracy really knows how to make a woman feel like....well, a woman. For fall 2007 Tracy stuck to what she knows best....gorgeous dresses and fabulous coats. I would give my left arm for one of her coats, if not for the fact I wouldn't have it to put in the coat later! I also loved the color scheme presented: silver, black, pink, orange, dusty rose and chocolate brown. Gorgeous! You can't go wrong in head to toe Tracy Reese. Check out the pics below from NYmag.com and my camera. Also check out my backstage pics!







My View:







Video of the show:



Your BACKSTAGE PASS:

The fabulous Ms. Tracy Reese and The gorgeous Veronica Webb....



Veronica Webb....looking amazing as always....Smile!



Kelly Rowland....the paparazzi were all over her. You would think she was Beyonce!



Me and Lloyd Boston from Full Frontal Fashion...Love him!



Zandile....Alexander Allen (stylist to the stars and a very dear friend) and ME!



Me and Mama Reese (Tracy Reese's mom....we hit it off about three seasons ago and have been friends ever since. We are actually pen pals, and write each other often. She is too cute)!!!




Love and Light....