JUST ASKING: DO BLOGGERS COME ANY CUTER?

new york city - personally, i'd like to think the answer is no! check out myself and my right hand man, terrence phearse - as we posed curbside earlier this summer. get into terrence's look: all black, american apparel top with sheer inlets underneath, a bold shouldered karl lagerfeld blazer over top and soft, jersey, harem-style pants by zara and fragrance by dior (but terrence won't reveal the name!!) . mine? an electric blue nicole miller spring/summer 2009 number (am i correct j.cooper!?). period. full. stop. the shoes are - are you ready to gag!!? - nine west boutique. fragrance: chanel no. 19. (not a fan of no.5 -at-all!) we hope we look just as chic and beautiful as you imagine fash bloggers to be! xo, zandile

NOT FASHION: DARK END OF THE STREET BY RY COODER

www - just because i'm going youtube mad this morning, i thought i'd share one of my absolute favorite songs with you: "the dark end of the street." i first heard it sung by percy sledge when i was very young, about eight years old. it reminds me of so many things from my childhood....well one thing in particular really, but we'll have to discuss that one over drinks and perhaps an twelve ounce rib eye. but i digress...i listen to this song almost daily and recently stumbled upon an absolutely sublime version. the three person, all male ensemble did absolute justice to this tune. their teeth though? not so much. so please, don't focus on it. just close your eyes, listen to the song and every once in a while take a peek at their fly seventies era gear.

JUST HAD TO SHARE: PHOTOS FROM THE POWER40 by ZANDILE BLAY MIXER

new york - alas, after over nine years of interning, working and living in the city of new york, i've accumulated more than a serious sample sale habit. i've been blessed to find many good friends and colleagues who continue to inspire me to this day. as an homage to them, i partnered with courvoisier exclusif to launch a private event called, the power40 by zandile blay. as the title suggests, i invited 40 esteemed friends and colleagues plus their guests to the gates, new york city's posh members club for drinks and music. it was a great night. life magazine, guest of a guest and wire image all covered the cocktail mixer on their sites. but most important: it was awesome to be able to show with more than words how much i appreciate and value these folks. more images to come. here is the first round.

YO, YO, YO: DO YOU MISS ME BLAYNISTAS?

new york, new york - oh mama misses you too! more than my landlord misses my rent- i promise! just checking in from the basement of nyu's bobst library where i am grinding away at 12:48 a.m in the morning to tell you how much i love you. yes - you! not the person next to you, or behind you, or on the t.v, or who you are chatting to. i heart you! why you ask? for taking the time to read my blog today. whether i am managing my writers, or typing away myself - creating the blay report is a labor of love and it feels so good to know that there is some one out there appreciating, responding to and reading it. that's it my loves. on to today's stories!

JUST HAD TO SHARE: SNAPSHOT FROM BRAZIL

sao paulo, brazil - pics from brazil are forth coming...(i left my camera in brazil and its currently being sent to me.) in the meantime, here is one my girl claire, sent my way. it was taken on the second day of shows and snaps us getting ready to watch a show. don't recall if i was smiling that hard after seeing the show. the collections were a touch...hit or miss.

BRAZIL PICS: A SPECIAL NOTE FROM YOUR EDITOR

sao paulo, brazil - my beautiful blaynistas! I'm typing this on my trust g1 phone from seat d1,section a at the alexandre herchovitch show (one of my fave designers by the way!). i feel so friggin blessed and fortunate to be doing what I want to do, where I want to do it, when I want to do it and how I ought to do it. Perhaps its the sagittarius in me, but all the above are so vital to me. So what's it like? Breathtaking really. I've am blessed to say with honesty that I have travelled the world, but Brazil is one place I never thought I would be. It always sounded like an exotic fairy tale to me - but how does that song go: fairy tales can come true, they can happen to you. Well its happening. Brazil reminds me a lot of Milan. At least Sao Paulo does. The hotel I'm in (see pics) is called L'Hotel. Its a cute, small place with amazing buffet breakfast. So far I've been to Iguatimi, which I take to be their major mall and am now at Bienal, where the majority of shows take place. Its all extremely well organized and on a much larger scale than I could have ever imagined. They have a phenomenal press lounge which I have been taking full advantage of and it is really just as vibrant and packed and overwhelming as nyc fashion week. Okay, show starting soon. Stay tuned for more posts. Your girl in the trenches, Zandile Blay.

p.s photos are of me in my room, my room, the view and all the awesome lil goodies they had in there waiting!

I CAN BE SOOO EXTRA: GET INTO MY STYLE PROFILE FOR AMBER NETWORK

new york - oh my dear blaynistas....there really are days when i serve way too much. case in point, the day i met up with the lovely ladies of amber network, especially the legendary marcia cole who founded amber mag, to pose for this mocha stylista's spread at mcdonald's on 125th street. take a few minutes to check out my interview here, as well as those of a handful of other uber-chic mocha girls who enjoy a good latte as much as a good luxury piece. my style was described as "british punk" which is fair and flattering enough...but it was more like "my hair is about to get done in six hours chic." hence the scarf, fitted cap, leggings, and comfy shoes. thanks to marcia and the amber network for this fab opportunity and make sure you try mcdonald's new mccafe products. they are delish! zandile blay

STORY TIME: CHECK OUT MY NEW STORY ON PENIS PLUGS

www - blaynistas, honestly, i talk more about my weaves than what i do for a living: write. i've been with aol forever writing about all things beauty, fashion and travel. check out my latest blog post on frisky about a semi-new men's accesory that's enjoying a new cult following: penis plugs. yep - you read right. as in an accessory that plugs the penis. why? where? and how much? check out my story here! zandile blay

I NEVER SHOWED YOU THE AFTER......

new york - blaynistas! so my hair was finished days ago, but i totally forgot to upload photos of my new 'do. my love of lace fronts are legend. but miraculously my good friend janelle grimmond has gradually coached me away from them. she enlisted me with two of her trusted contacts, one of them being quentin hardy, who is the primary stylist for celebrities like iman, kimora lee simmons and zoe kravitz. hardy, who is also a dear friend, crafted this look for me and i love it. the layered look, hangs loosely down my back and is 26 inches at it's longest, dyed jet black. camille acey - i promise this style is super, super, super durable! it's my second time getting a full weave as opposed to braids and lace fronts which have been my standard for the past two years. it's safe to say i'm not going to go back. let me know if you love this look!

WHHHHYYYYY IS THIS DRINK SO GOOD

new york - so I am here at bbq's on 23rd and 8th street in manhattan like a bird. I'm taking a break from partying at the gates - the new members only club in chelsea - to grab a bite of my fave wings and drink: pina colada. this extra blue confection is the blueberry special and its delish!!

I KNOW I'VE BEEN AWAY - MY LETTER FROM LONDON

london - my dear readers, this is a heart felt note to apologize for the lack of updates. i totally, totally hear you on your frustrations for lack of updating but it hasn't been for naught. the past month has seen my schedule go into crunch mode as i balance my duties as market editor at paper with my work as a graduating masters student at central saint martins with life in general. it's not meant to be an excuse , just an explanation. i totally love you guys and appreciate your devoted readership. it may not feel like it, but this blog is getting ready to head into its best days yet and once i'm wrapped with my degree there's be bigger, better, bolder blogs to come. speaking of which, i'm in london right now doing just that: preparing to graduate - FINALLY -from saint martins. stay tuned for pics, etc from my final days as a student at csm and in london in general. i love you guys and miss you guys and beg you guys to continue to be patient with me. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME....HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ZANDILE....

london - i could go on forever! but you get the point. it's my birthday. or rather - it was on tuesday, December 16th. i turned that odd age no one much cares about 26. as someone reminded me, i am now officially in my late twenties. ouch!!! that said, i decided for the first time (in as long as i can remember) to actually treat myself on my birthday. usually my plans are centered around dinner with friends, or a day with my boyfriend - and all these are well and good, but one often finds oneself worrying if the other person (people) is having a good time. so i wanted to celebrate solo and focus exclusively on myself. i came up with a day trip to stone henge (i know! that stonehenge) and a tour and over night in bath - both of which are located in western england. what a brilliant plan.  i absolutely loved seeing both places. i've been feeling a touch stressed and overwhelmed lately and these experiences just opened me up. stonehenge was amazing, as can be imagined. bath was absolutely beautiful! its literally a roman city in the english countryside. i stayed the night at barcelo country manor. i wasn't much impressed with my room, but the grounds and the food were simply amazing. i spent about two hours in the steam room ( i know - not healthy , but so relaxing). other highlights included: a proper british cream tea at the pump room in bath, a trip to the fashion museum, and my purchase of a faux fur vest - something i've wanted for  some time. oooh! i also got a chance to try the famous sally lunn's buns which are , firm and sweet. (ha, ha). it's a delicious sweet bread that everyone from charles dickens to the new york times has written about. really good stuff. i have hundreds of photos and may show them later, but for the sake of time, here are just a few for you to enjoy! xo, zb

THE PRESS TEAM FROM ESTEE LAUDER IS THE ABSOLUTE SWEETEST....

new york - honestly, as a fashion news blog, is this even blogging territory? who knows? but if you are a regular reader, you know the blay report is 80% news about fashion/beauty/industry insiders and 20% about all things zandile blay. everyone needs a personal platform and welcome to mine! but i digress...i said all that to say i got the sweetest e-card from tara eisenberg of estee lauder. we've been emailing eachother for the better part of the year for this blog and for an assignment i did for giant magazine. great girl, with a great job now working with a great team. thanks so much for the fancy, classy, sparkly e-card. happy holidays to you and the team. x,zb

P.S IS THE DRESS UGLY!?: A LOT OF FOLKS ONLINE SEEM TO THINK SO

connecticut- a special thank you to my little sister zeba, for coming along and taking photos of the event. she shared a few with her friends on her live journal page. i was expecting compliments, but talk about dashed hopes. almost every one who commented found the dress to be incredibly ugly. i still love it. it is an iridescent purple nicole miller fall 2008 dress which i paired with black tights and high patent leather wedge open-toe heels. i loved the look. but do you hate it?

PHOTOS FROM MY SPEECH AT QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY

connecticut - i. had. a. fabulous. time. i swear! the students were absolutely amazing. seeing as though it was a monday, on a holiday at 7pm, i was expecting roughly 20 students to come. almost 100 showed up. they were super attentive and asked spot on questions about the fashion industry and how to break in. special thank you professor hanley for bringing his entire class to the speech, tony black and christopher wescott as well as lorella praeli of shades for inviting me and michael lyle for getting the ball rolling on this. i also want to thank ray andrewson, general managaer of wqun radio, for having me on his morning show to promote the talk.

p.s here is what one very kind student had to say about me on her amazing blog, fashion forward.