FRANDILE TAKE D.C

blaynistas, as you can tell, this weekend is all about the personal photos. while in washington d.c i am staying at the fabulous hotel palorma. and i do mean fabulous. frette sheets, sleek furniture, a gorgeous pool, impeccable bathroom, awesome location. and are you ready for the kicker? a wine reception every evening between 5-6. loves it! but i digress, franklin and i came out here to check out all the wonderful (and free admission) smithsonian museums in d.c. check out the sites we saw below. oh, and what exactly is frandile? franklin+zandile=frandile. hey, i know what you are thinking. but don't blame me. my little sister, zeba, made the name up!

frandile sitting fountain side at a park between museums stops.


a close -up of the amazing textiles on display at the african art museum.

anyone living in the continental u.s has seen shots of the capitol building a thousand times. here is one thousand and one.

this striking piece was on display at the african art museum.

more textiles at you know where.....

upclose of me in front of some art (again) at the african art museum. get into that cleavage i'm showing! mom + auntie, don't be mad!


beautiful.

that's a life size giraffe dipping down for some water (or my cleavage?) at an exhibit at the natural history museum.

regal. this shot was taken at the national gallery of art.

frandile on the venerable steps of the national gallery of art. thanks to the dad pushing his kid in a stroller who stopped to take this shot of us.

giving much body in front of the gallery art. notice my trusty notebook? blaynista's, i am always reporting for you all. even on vacay. don't you love me!?

SO HAUTE IN SO-BRO

remember that fabulous dinner party i mentioned a while back? well i am finally blogging about it! it was held in the south bronx at the ultra sophisticated, fabulous, and urbane home of celebrity stylist: dhalimu robinson. the food was superb readers, i am talking honeyed sweet potatoes wrapped in warm phylo dough; lump crab meat mixed with fresh veggies and lightly fried; kielba sausages steeped in liquor and honey for days then grilled and the best cocktails in town. wait, did i mention the honey wine that dhali served? the most fabulous part of the evening though? the fabulous host and the fabulous guests! see below.

host, dhalium robinson strikes a pose in front of chocolate brown walls in a burberry jacket, yves saint laurent button up shirt, fendi pants and a smile by god.

me, debuting my new hairstyle (which is now different) in a bright yellow cocktail dress by h&m.

william, a juliard dance school grad, is rocking a very chic outfit. i love the fresh flower on his lapel. it was grown in south africa.

isn't she gorgeous? she is dhali's childhood friend and a wonderfully gifted singer. she sang a powerful gospel song for everyone.

don't you love this outfit? the striped piece underneath the blazer is actually a tie that he left hanging loose.

dhali and his close friend, and ridiculously talented dancer, william having a bite of those sweet potatoe phylo pastries i mentioned.

haven't heard of this fly diva? well get ready! her name is talia coles and she is getting ready to debut a new brand of music called "couture pop."i just did an article on her for jewel magazine.
ofcourse, i had to get a close up pic of her "brand new louis," also the name of her single. she copped this louis vuitton bag in japan.

my two favorite men: kareem angln, of the meerak group and host, dhali share a laugh.

let's get into this fly vintage ensemble kareem put together. i loves it. especially the bright yellow button up. an upclose of the j linbergh belt kareem has on.

THIS IS WHY SHE'S HOT

kate moss just sold in one week, what entire corporations sell in a year. her top shop line, which debuted on april 30th in london, made nearly six million u.s dollars (or 3 million pounds) in it's first week alone. that's in six days. that's almost a million a day. the figures just emerged recently according to 24dash.com. this is why kate moss is haute. (forget those pictures of her doing drugs. everyone else has.)

a black jersey dress from kate moss's top shop collection. (www.topshop.com)

MARC JACOBS SAYS FU*K IT!

marc jacobs. (nymag.com)

well maybe not that (and please forgive me for cursing mom and auntie!), but marc jacobs did throw in the towel on his first men's fashion show during milan fashion week. the decision, according to fashion week daily, had everything to do with not being able to find a venue for the show and nothing to do with his recent trip to rehab. (the last part is according to his publicist.) sure. but for now, viewing of the mens collection will be by appointment only.

ALICE+OLIVIA EXPAND+GROW

the contemporary clothing store alice + olivia, which is now based near bryant park in new york city and robertson boulevard in los angeles, is now adding two more to the crew. on friday, the store opened it's doors for the first time on new york city's mott street, and another one in northhampton, new york. but wait - there's more! according to the wonderful fashion week daily, the company plans to launch two other stores in malibu and las vegas in the very near future. i can't lie. i'm not too into this brand, not too into their stores. but i thought you might care. i hope i was right.

a cotton pleated dress by alice+olivia. i could actually get with this one. (www.bluefly.com)

A CARBON COPY TO COP

lapo elkann looking as dapper as ever. (verycool.it)

don't you love the alliteration in the title? okay, on to the news. so you have probably never heard of lapo elkann. well get to know him. this italian designer, is very rich (heir to the fiat empire), very good looking (see pic below) and very happy (read on to see why.) barneys new york has signed on to be the exclusive retailer of elkann's italian independent brand. the label sells a wide range of products, many of which are made entirely out of carbon. starting in june, barneys will retail mens and womens glasses by the brand.

a pair of sever unisex glasses by italian independent. they don't move me. must see them on. (italianindependent.com)