Lights, Camera...FABULOUS!!

The Julee and Beyonce Show.... The Final Cut

What an experience! I have officially infiltrated the national airwaves by conquering The Today Show! I smiled...posed....and winked (don't forget to catch the wink) into the hearts of Americans!

CHECK IT OUT: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16026285/

It was amazing! It all started at 4:45AM this morning. I was really concerned because no one is cute at 4:3o in the morning! Nevertheless, I woke...took a shower....tried to salvage my hair after tossing and turning all night out of nervousness...and made sure to read a few scriptures/throw up some prayers!


A private car (gotta love the perks) picked me up at 5:30am and I was on my way! After idle chat about the superior craftsmanship of Manolo Blahnik shoes with the driver ( I don't know why he was so interested), we arrived at the studio. There were already people with signs waiting for Beyonce to show up. Of course they thought for a second that might be her, since the driver opened the door for me....but they quickly realized that I wasn't her. I'd like to think it was ONLY the lack of weave that gave me away :o)~

Moving right along....I made my way to the Real Simple dressing room aka Maya Rudolph's SNL dressing room! Fabulous! If you don't know, Maya Rudolph is hilarious and she is also the daughter of Minnie Ripperton (and if you don't know who she is, log unto itunes immediately and download "Lovin You").





After a little food and relaxation it was time to start the star treatment. Jim from Elizabeth Arden Red Door salon tended to me tresses, which didn't need much of anything. Once he picked up the bottle of hair spray I knew I had to get out of his chair before he hit the trigger! I moved over to the makeup maven Mary. She was so nice....but as you can see from the clip, a little heavy handed with the eyebrow pencil! Between the hairspray and eyebrow pencil I was a little discouraged, BUT nothing was going to get me down....I was going to be a STAR (even if for only 30 seconds)!




The set was beautiful and it was surreal being around Matt Lauer and Ann Currie. As I prepared to shoot the "tease" (a shot about half an hour before the actual segment letting the audience know what's to come), I kept an eye out for Beyonce and managed to strike up a little convo with Matt. Well it was more like me telling him how "cute and fab" he was. I think he appreciated it...and I even made him blush a little. The "tease" went off without a hitch and as I left the studio to rejoin the Real Simple girls I was confronted by Matthew and Tina Knowles. You know I had to tell Mama Knowles that she looked fabulous! She just smiled and nodded (whatever)! She's lucky I didn't sue her daughter for nearly knocking me to the ground. OK, OK....she didn't hit me that hard. However, right before walking back on set for our segment, Beyonce was leaving with her entourage and she accidentally bumped into me (literally). She said "excuse me, I'm soooo sorry!" Of course it was ok, she iiiiisssss Beyonce. BUT, I think she just wanted to rub off some of my fabulousness...right?


Anyway, the segment was flawless.All of us ladies were on a super high for the rest of the day! I could not stop talking about how wonderful the experience was. I feel as though all I need more in life is to get married to the man of my dreams and have babies! LOL....ok, it wasn't that major! However, I did LOVE it and I asked our PR director if I could go through media training so that I can do it more often. The chemistry between me and the camera was real....you can't fake that type of magic :o)



Love and Light....

Tis the season for Spring/Summer previews in the fashion world.

Meaning...that designers and clothing lines are pulling out all the stops and showing off their collections for the spring and summer. I don't go to many of these events, but I always jump at the chance to attend the ones that my coworkers don't have time for. Usually they aren't the most exciting ones like DKNY...Shin Choi...Rebecca Taylor...etc. However, I'm a humble gal and I'm thankful for every opportunity that I can gain. AND, there is always the possibility of a GIFT BAG!!!! Gotta love the free stuff :o)

Soooooo, last night I got the chance to attend the LANDS' END preview event. I know, I know...not fabulous at all. We all associate Lands' End with khaki pants, canvas totes, polo shirts and people who have the time/money to vacation all summer in Cape Cod. Yuck!

Well, I must say I was surprised! The clothing didn't deviate from my description above. HOWEVER, I was really surprised at how much detail was put into everything they presented. Lands' End is also coming out with intimates with the slogan: "The secret's out." Very cute:o)

My favorite innovation was the custom fit bathing suits. Listen to this....you can actually order the suit with your correct bra size! Amazing~! See some of the styles below...

I also really loved the new idea they have for their classic tote bags. You can send in your own art work and have it either transferred to your bag or have the image embroidered on to the bag. The one style looks more like the art was actually drawn onto the bag and other style is a cleaner version due to the threading. Either way, you will have a one-of-a-kind bag!

Last, but certainly not least....the GIFT BAG! I have to give it to Lands' End this was one of the best gifts I have seen. As one of the representatives walked me through different looks, a tote bag was being personalized for me! And they threw in a great towel! FABULOUS!

Love and Light...

Tune in....TiVo...DVR....

I have exciting news! This coming Monday (December, 4th 2006) I will be appearing on the Today Show (NBC). My job is doing a segment on party dresses and I am going to be modeling one of the selections! (Note: I'll be the fabulous black girl in the red Banana Republic dress :o)~

The segment will be in the 8am-9am hour...Prime time!!!!!

Hopefully I don't fall flat on my face, so pleeeeease start praying for me now!

If you need more of an incentive? Beyonce will also be performing live on Monday's show :o)

JULEE and BEYONCE....who can top that?

Love and Light....

Take a bite... CANDY APPLE MAGAZINE--- "Hard But Sweet"

Candy Apply magazine has launched! It's a fabulous new magazine for fierce and fabulous city dwelling ladies. I am the executive editor of the publication and I worked alongside a group of amazingly talented women.

Please check it out and remember to SIGN UP/REGISTER. And please let me know what you think...I would LOVE to hear your feedback!

Official Website: http://candyapplemag.com

MySpace Site: http://myspace.com/candyapplemag

Love and Light....

You do the math...

7 beautiful BAPs + 7 table cloths + a whole bunch of Masons= 1 fabulous weekend in Philly!

This weekend Jen and I traveled down to Philly to help our college friend Erin celebrate her stepdad's promotion with the Masons organization. I don't know too much about the Masons, except that my grandfather is one, they are distinguished men of color in their communities and they know how to throw a party! Basically, all of us ladies dressed up in fabulously fashioned white table cloths and sprinkled rose petals as a makeshift tomb carrying Erin's stepdad was rolled in and presented to the crowd. Think..."Coming to America" meets the "Prince of Egypt" :o)

Here are some photos from the weekend. You never knew table cloth could look this good, huh?

Love and Light...

More Patrick McMullen LOVE.....

I'm on a roll guys. I've been trying to attend more events these days and not only am I having a lot of fun but the flashbulbs are popping. Granted, I could work on my picture taking skills...however, the love is pouring down and there is no time to run inside and grab an umbrella. Sooooo, let it rain and I'll learn along the way!

This photo was taken at an American Legacy and Tracy Reese event @ the Tracy Reese Boutique. I wasn't entirely ready for it, or else I would have been beaming a smile since I LOVE T.Reese and she's my BFF (in my dreams).

The next two pics were taken at the White House Black Market NYC flagship store opening. My gril Nia came with me and we had a great time. We even got $50 gift certificates in the "thank-you-for-coming-to-our-fabulous-event" bags.

P.S. Sorry, I can't take off that PMC watermark. I would have to buy the print and a 4x6 print costs $10!!!!!!!!!! It's hard being fabulous but BROKE!

Love and Light...

It's NOT a phone....



Or so they say!!!!!!!!!



Soooo, I attended at the launch party of Helio (the "phone") at Henri Bendel's the other night. I'm sure you've seen the commercials for this cell phone, which they are calling a non-phone. Whatever! You talk on it and does everything that most phones do (it takes pictures, videos, and all your money)!

Anyway, the party was pretty fun. I took my intern Elinor along with me. It was her first industry event! Here she is giving the "WTF-face" to the Heilo. My thoughts exactly...




We also bumped in the a few ex-coworkers of mine....Sarah and Jennifer. It's always great to see fabulous friends out and about. Especially these two girls....since they are both so wonderful and hard workers. We had a blast flirting with all the obviously gay waiters and doing the next new dance craze....the "Snwell"! I can't really explain it, so I'll have to videotape it and put it up on the site one day soon.


The highlight (and lowlight) was the event's celebrity guest....Oksana Baiul!!!!!!!!! Give me a break! She was hot about one hundred years ago, and no one really cared that she won the Olympic gold medal because we were too caught up in the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding fiasco! Nevertheless, she was there and looking a hot-ghetto-mess in my opinion. You be the judge....


We had to show her some love though :o)




Love and Light....

"Make new friends...but keep the old...one is silver and the other's gold





A few weeks ago my best friend from growing up, Autumn, came to visit me in the city. We had an awesome time! We had not seen each other since high school graduation... 6 1/2 years ago!!!! But, every time we get around each other it seems like only a few weeks have past. I'm so thankful for our friendship and overjoyed that we have continued to keep in touch over all these years. She reminds me of my childhood and what a great time I had growing up...that's a priceless feeling. We should always surround people like that around ourselves.



Love and Light...

Euphoric, Amazing, Inspirational, Fun, Excellent, Hilarious, and completely Unforgettable… are all words that describe my evening last night. (This morning I literally had to ask myself: “did last night really happen?”)

I had the honor of dining with one of my idols…Robin Givhan (!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yes, it happened. I mentioned in my Fashion Week review that I had met the Pulitzer Prize winning fashion journalist (for the Washington Post) at the Jenni Kayne show. Being the fabulous woman that she is, Robin agreed that when she got back from the shows in Europe that she would schedule a dinner with Zandile and I.

I was skeptical. Someone of Robin’s status in the fashion industry are extremely busy and cannot always stick to their word and frolic with the common folk. However, after keeping her word and sharing a night filled with non-stop chatting, smiling and laughing… Robin has proven that kindness, humility and excellence can coexist in this industry! Amen.

We talked about everything from her woes and wows of becoming the writer she is today…to our common love for the Ali G Show! Don’t get me wrong; you know we HAD to talk about fashion and what she thought of the shows this season.

Surprisingly one of her favorite collections was Valentino. I say “surprisingly” because we haven’t really heard of anything super-fabulous coming from that house in several years. She mentioned that Valentino’s dedication to his vision was what won her over. Robin also noted that Phillip Lim, Derek Lam, and Jil Sander also topped her list of favs (you can check out all of their collections at www.style.com). (pics below in the following order: Valentino, Phillip Lim, Derek Lam and Jil Sander)


When asked what she looks for in a collection, Robin said that: a collection needs to support a clear vision and furthermore remain consistent in that overarching theme. The clothes also need to be intriguing and not just another old pair of pants or frilly top.


I love that word…”intriguing.” I have to agree with her. My favorite collections are the ones that make me wanna leap out of my seat and touch the pieces…and examine their structure…put them on…dance around in them…and ultimately cause me to temporarily lose my mind and believe that they are worth their ridiculous prices!



I love that fact Robin was so free with extending her wisdom. Another piece of advice that she offered us in regards to pursuing our careers was: “Don’t take everything so personally.” Fashion (along with many other fields) is an extremely difficult career to work in because of the strict deadlines, high stress, vanity, and competition. She says the best way to combat all of these issues is to stay focused and worry about your own individual responsiblities…and knock them out of the park!


This might seem obvious, but we often get caught up and don’t realize how sensitive we’re being. It’s about having thick-skin! However, being tough mentally isn’t an excuse for being unkind. The truly fabulous, are those who can balance being tough, successful and kind all at once.

I truly hope (and pray) that I will be able to enjoy even just an ounce (ok, maybe more) of the success that Robin has experienced. She truly is an amazing woman, writer, role model, and fashionista.

P.S. If you're anything like me, you'll want to know exactly what was worn to an event as monumental as this. Well, I was in head to toe black with vibrant accents... I had on a black cashmere short-sleeve Uniqlo top, a DKNY jersey knee-length skirt, black opaque tights and my black suede Miu Miu wedge heels. I added my fabulousness by wearing a pair of my rhinestone shoe clips, large antique rhinstone stud earrings and a heavy coat of red Chanel lipstick. Very classic chic!



If you aren't already reading Robin's work, I advise you to start immediately! No true fashion-mad person should got without her unique perspective on fashion, politics and art! Oh, and did I mention she won a Pulizter??

Check her out: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artsandliving/fashionandbeauty/index.html

Love and Light…

Snap!

When it comes to New York society, being photographed by Patrick McMullen or one of his photogs is a must!!!

His photographs are taken at the most fabulous events and of the most fabulous people. The pics are then transfered to his webstie for all to see...and pray that they will someday be able to be snapped by him!

Well, I had the amazing opprotunity to be photographed by a Patrick McMullen photographer with my apt-mate Jen and my girl Zandile. We were attending a party held at the Chanel Boutique for the 80th Anniversary of the Little Black Dress!

Check it out: http://www.patrickmcmullen.com/website/pmc_screens/Event_selects.aspx?page=3&Event_ID=6836

I'm not quite a member of New York society.... but I must say it was a fabulous party and it's always nice to represent for all the fabulous BG's (black girls...which there were only five at the party counting the three of us)!


Love and Light....

Ahhhhhhh...I LOVE the Fall! It reminds me of my childhood. I can remember getting so excited for the Fall to arrive and school to start. I also appreciate the changing leaves and cozy clothes. If it wouldn't make me look like a complete crackhead...I would totally pile up some leaves on the corner of 121st and 8th Ave and jump in them. However, I'm sure I would quickly be deemed a lunatic! Which is exactly why I've been trying to travel home to PA as much as possible this season. With the rolling hills of Chester Springs, surrounded by horses and cows I can truly live out my country-bumpkin activities...



A few weeks ago Rahsaan and I traveled to Lititiz, PA for the 5th Annual Chocolate Walk. It's our second year in a row attending together and we never fail to have a great time. The Chocolate Walk consists of about 25 chocolatiers from around the area that setup in all the little shops in town...you buy a $10 ticket and travel from shop to shop and recieve samples of all the chocolate. It's heaven on earth!!! There is everything from chocolate covered potato chips to chocolate ristotto. Of course you can't eat it all in one sitting, so everyone brings a bag or tupperware to store some of the samples for later. One of the greatest parts of the trip is visiting the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. It's like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (I love that book/movie) minus the Oompa Loompas and chocolate river!

You know a trip with me can't leave out a fashion moment...

While visiting small towns like Lititiz, I try to hit up all the thrift stores or Antique shops for vintage costume jewelry (I'm a HUGE collector, if you didn't know). I purchased some really amazing pieces that would have cost me a small fortune if I were in the city. Shopping beyond the walls of NYC is a rare and thrify treat that I would love to partake in more often. A pair of vintage sterling silver and rhinestone earrings in the city would have been close to or over $100. My find this past weekend were $8!!!!!! Enough said.


I LOVE MY MOM.....she surprised me and decided to come to the city for a quick weekend trip last week. It's so nice to know that our relationship has continued to grow throughout the years. I still manage to speak with her almost everyday...and that's a feat when you factor in being a hard-working fashionista, friend, girlfriend and a good daughter. Phew! It can be done.

Back to the weekend....Before I met up with my mom I headed down to SoHo for a fabulous traveling vintage sale called The Garment Room (check out the website www.garmentroom.com). It was AMAZING! I purchased a Dana Buchman dress ($68), a sparkly gorgette top ($88) and fabulous rhinstone shoe clips ($68). The sale travels around to several different places in the USA and the owner Tiffany even hosts private sales. Did I already mention that it's AMAZING!!!! Again.... www.thegarmentroom.com



From there I got to spend time with my lovely Soror and friend Diamond! She looked fabulous as ever and even had the most amazing accessory of the season on her arm....a new MAN! (Soooo cute!) We hit up Century 21 where I had to restrain myself, since I had just spent $200 on vintage...but Diamond bought the cutest little dress. It was nice hanging out and catching up with her. I hope she comes back up soon!

After meeting up with my mom we decided to do what the Wilson women do best....SHOP! And I still had some money left on a Bergdorf Goodman gift card, so we knew exactly what to do. We headed up to 57th and 5th after a quick brunch and entered the fashion mecca that is BG! I really need some black tall boots so we focused on that, but were unable to find a pair that I loved and were within my price range. I work with expensive clothes all day, but you never really realize how pricey things are until you want to purchase them for yourself. Plain black leather boots were averaging $800!! Just as we decided to leave my eye caught a pair of Miu Miu (a line owned by Prada) wedges and it was love at first sight....and they were afforadable. We snatched them up and the rest is history! (Here they are with the fabulous shoes clips I bought at The Garment Room vintage sale...)




Love and Light...

Olympus Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2007 has come and gone, however I’m still savoring the memories that I made during those seven glorious (and hectic) days.

As with every Fashion Week I’ve been involved with, Zandile aka my-partner-in-crime, was my companion througout. When it comes to anything having to do with fashion, we are unstoppable. Please believe, you will be seeing our names at the top of a masthead in the near future.

Believe it or not, I made it to 21 shows!

Spring 2007 is looking more fabulous than ever and I was able to witness it first hand. Below you will find a rundown of all the shows I attended and what I thought of them. Hopefully it will help in getting you ready for a truly stylish spring season. Enjoy!

THE SHOWS I ATTENDED (in chronological order):
*Note: All photos were taken by me

MISS SIXTY---Rahsaan was my date for this show, which was held at the beautiful Guggenheim Museum. Note: It looks like denim overalls are coming back. I don’t know how I feel about this, but if you do it right…I’m sure it could be cute. Use Caution.

MARC BOUWER---Think the TV show “Dynasty” filmed in Miami. Not my cup of tea, but if I ever move down to Miami I’ll make sure to pick up a few frocks from Mr. Bouwer.

BABY PHAT---Great show, Ok clothes. Instead of buyers, Kimora fills her seats with celebs (50 Cent: who got in a fight before the show started, Trina, Brandy, Tyson Beckford, Mya, etc). The best part of the show: the music and star gazing. Bonus: the models were sporting blinged out grills as they stomped down the catwalk.



ACADEMY ART UNIVERSITY--- These students from San Francisco killed it. I was impressed with their work more than some of the established designers.

SABYASACHI--- LOVED IT! This designer from India really knows what he is doing. The clothes had subtle elegance. Muted colors (more like a Fall palette) with luxurious fabrics and a touch of glamour with the shapes and the occasional use of metallics.

ALICE ROI--- Think: the rebellious boarding school girl. Roi speaks to the girl who wants to look clean but show she doesn’t mind getting dirty. Note: Pick up one of her fab super-sized belted change purses.

ATIL KUTOGLU--- Another solid collection for Kutoglu. I always feel like I should be lounging by the ocean in the south of France when I see his collection. Very clean and airy with great colors.

ALEXANDRE HERCHCOVITCH--- An African militia was apparently the inspiration for this always over-the-top designer. Zandile loves his work and although I don’t really see myself wearing his super loud, statement making looks, I can appreciate the amazing craftsmanship.



JENNI KAYNE--- Fabulous!!! I was surprised by this semi-newcomer to the fashion industry. Her designs are amazing and I especially loved her leather jackets for the spring (That’s right, leather in the spring…get on it)!



SASS & BIDE--- The two Aussie ladies that make up this label always aim to please and they never fail. This collection was reminiscent of Norma Kamali at her best. The designers strayed away from their usual use of color, but that doesn’t mean it lacked sexiness.

LACOSTE--- A Classic. We all love that tiny alligator placed perfectly on the timelessly designed and executed clothing. This spring the label is showing off it’s versatility. The label covered everything from preppy looks of the 50's to street-ready wears of the 80's. You'll be ready for anything this spring in Lacoste.



TRACY REESE--- If you know anything about me, you know that Tracy Reese is absolutely one of my favorite designers. And after her spring 2007 presentation she has yet again claimed her place in my heart...and closet. A special surprise during the show were the latin dancers to uplift her spanish inspired clothing. One word: Dope!



DIANE VON FURSTENBERG---Adam is going to love Eve’s new duds this spring, especially since she is the inspiration behind DVF’s collection. We all know that Diane can make a helluva dress and she proved it once again. The colors, floral motifs and bold shapes are just a few of the reasons everyone should have a DVF in their wardrobe this spring.

ROSA CHA--- Itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny. There will be no squeezing any junk in these trunks. Rosa Cha is big on design, but small on fabric. I can appreciate the innovative way in which he sees the swimsuit (ex: adding suspenders…trust me, it looked amazing) but I can also recognize that I would look a hot-mess in one of this tiny numbers.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA--- I did it again! I sat in the friend-and-family section with one of my fabulous former editors for one of Fashion Week’s most anticipated and beautiful shows. Oscar never disappoints. The show was breathtaking and the only way I can describe it is: Flawless. If you need more explanation than that, go checkout the whole collection on Style.com.

NANETTE LEPORE--- The pinup girl is back and she’s more fabulous than ever. Nanette had the jet-setting fashionista in mind when designing this collection. I loved all the dresses and intend on taking them on my next trip to Italy (whenever that happens). The only thing that bothered me was her occasional use of exposed zippers. It looks just a little too juvenile to me.




HEATHERETTE--- This show is always a party and everyone wants to get in—Daisy and I accomplished the task and scored seats with no problem. It was so packed that even Patricia Fields didn’t have a seat and was sitting on the floor! Shame to the people around her that did offer her their seat….what an opportunity missed! Anyway, there surprises around every corner at the show. Strutting out first was Paris Hilton to her “Stars are Blind” song, and sprinkled throughout the show were Nicky Hilton, Tinsley Mortimer, Mya, Amanda Hearst, Amanda Lepore and the one-and-only Kelis (looking gorgeous as usual)!






MICHON SCHUR--- A pleasant surprise. This newish designer made a powerful statement with a collection of smart dresses, feminine blouses and the ever-present bubble-skirts that are flooding the runways. The paparazzi were also flooding the front row at this show….Misha Barton attended (is a friend of the designer).

CYNTHIA ROWLEY--- The first half of CR’s show was amazing. Angelic dresses with touches of colorful wicker details. The second half of the show was not in line with her initial looks and unfortunately weren’t as pretty. I’m hoping that the buyers in the audience feel the same way I do. Speaking of the audience…sitting front and center was the infamous Martha Stewart in all her pretentious glory. You gotta love her swagger though.

CUSTO BARCELONA--- Can someone say…A.D.H.D.? As always, this show had no real direction and was simply sensory overload. If you want to look like a gang of first graders attacked you with their arts and craft kit, then Custo is the collection for you.

DOO.RI--- Drop Dead Gorgeous! This woman knows how to drape fabric. Her jersey gowns and blouses have been the objects of my desire since seeing her show last fall. This spring she updating the legging trend by making them super long and detailed with a draped waist. Amazing! Did I mention that I love this designer! P.S. I totally want her to design my wedding dress.



HIGHLIGHTS:

*Meeting Robin Givhan (the amazing fashion journalist from the Washington Post that recently won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism—the first fashion journalist ever to win): Love her and her amazing hustle to the very tippity-top of the fashion journalism game! We are keeping in touch and when she gets back from the fashion shows in Europe, super-fab Zandile and I will be having dinner with her. God is too good!

*Chilling back stage at Heatherette: Thanks to my girl Zandile, who couldn’t even get into the show but managed to watch from backstage, Daisy and I were able to meet her back there after the show was over. Needless to say, we chatted up Travis Rains and Ritchie Rich (aka the geniuses behind Heatherette), complimented Tinsley Mortimer (socialite) about her amazing strut, watched Paris as she acted too good for all the hoopla and had a moment with Kelis. Another successful night at the tents!

Love and Light...