THE MYTH OF KATIE HOLMES AS A FASHION ICON JUST GOT BELIEVABLE....

Katie, along with Kate, Vanessa and Natalie pose on the cover of AnOther Magazine. Masterful.


worldwide - what kind of awesome marketing work is this? can someone hand her agent a gold star? whoever pitched tom cruise's wife for the cover of another magazine deserves a standing ovation. For the first time in a long time, I actually believe the marketing ploy: katie holmes is a fashion icon. please get into the fierce face she is serving, the snatched hair, and the dramatic structured collar. she is actually wearing azzedine alaia, one of my absolute favorite fashion icons. in my opinion this cover marks the end of the debate: katie holmes is a genuine fashion icon. what's a good stylist, without a great muse who can channel the look. and a great muse holmes has become. she shares cover girl duties with kate moss, natalie portman and vanessa paridis. they each grace separate covers, celebrating "a decade of style" for another magazine.

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN'S PUMA COLLECTION DEBUTS IN FEBRUARY

worldwide - oh, hussein chalayan. how fab (i.e. creative, innovative, dyanic) is this designer? there's nothing he does that i don't adore. but i digress....the central saint martins graduate and current creative director for puma has indulged us with a sneak peek at his new collection for puma: urban mobility. in true chalayan form, the collection features dark, structured garments for men and women. they epitomize the meeting of fashion and function in that each item has multiple hidden pockets and compartments where everyday gadgets: iphones, camera, flip cam, blackberry, pepper spray, can be sleekly - and chicly - hidden. expect the pieces to be in store in february 2010. garments range from $50 o $353 USD.
[story & images via wwd]

Michelle Watch: What MOBO Wore Round Up

I mean, honestly, I would have loved a touch of Kente cloth on Michelle, but the multi-stripped A-Line dress she wore to the Sophie Theallet hospital in Accra is a nice turn.

Let's call a spade a spade: here in Rome, Michelle gets a run for her money from the Pope who is serving us in his signature Prada pumps - sorry - shoes. Michelle volley's right back in her Moschino dress complimented by a Michael Kors coat.

I mean...perfection. As Michelle hopped off the plane last week from her European travels, she looked just as I love her: perfectly poised, perfectly coiffed and perfectly dressed in a classic, Moschino cinched waist number.

worldwide - ...and she continues to show them how to do this son. does michelle obama - or her stylist - ever have an off day? i'm not just talking about the sexy silhouette: always knee length, always cinched waist, always a peep of collarbone, the sickening labels (moschino anyone?), or the fresh, seasonal colors, but the complete poise with which my auntie (in my head ofcourse) wears clothes. she gets an a+ in this week's post for adding a designer i haven't noticed her in before: moschino. i was also loving the looks she wore while in my native ghana. check out my three favorite looks from last week. they were all hits to me, but do you spot any misses?

ARE YOU READY FOR H&M'S LATEST COLLABORATION? IT'S JIMMY CHOO, BIOTCHES!!!!

worldwide - i hate to get extra spicy in my headline, but it is what it is. h&m is serving the masses high fashion on a hot platter and they have (almost) outdone themselves with the latest collabo: jimmy choo. the lux brit label will be working with h&m to debut a line of shoes and bags which will be retailed at over 250 h&m stores world wide. but are you ready for the kicker? jimmy choo will also design a range of clothing to compliment the accesorries. and men will not be left out of the festivities either. jimmy choo will debut a collection of shoes, bags - or murses if you will - and clothes for men. this is beyond beyond. i'm not a hard core j.c fan at all (give me a louboutin or ysl or top shop unique shoe any day) but i have to respect what tamara mellon, creative director and founder of the label has been able to do in a little over ten years. she states in the press release, "We are privileged to be among the fashion greats who have been affiliated with H&M, to be designing a collection that will appeal to fashion-savvy, street-smart women and to be including some great pieces for men, too. Jimmy Choo will bring a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible, glamorous collection to H&M – the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!” she aint lying. this is going to be a spectacular debut. shout out to margareta van den bosch, creative advisor to h&m. this woman has zero idea who i am, but i've blogged about her in the past and absolutely adore what she's done with h&m: primarily engineering these spectacular collaborations and creating a very covetable signature collection within the h&m brand. zandile blay

photo: van den bosch and mellon above, below the duo fitting a model; courtesy of laforce&stevens

YOU NOW HAVE THE RIGHT TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR KEDS

www - way to stay chic and relevant! keds, the sneakers we all know and love from our childhood, is getting major brownie points for its latest initiative: customizable kicks. this new features is officially called keds studio and it allows you to be your own shoe designer. simply log on to http://www.keds.com/ and upload your favorite photos, words, and logos which will then be placed onto your favorite style of keds. prices start at only $60.

SONIA RYKIEL IS CEEBRATING 40 YEARS IN THE INDUSTRY IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY...

worldwide - i count sonia rykiel as one of my favorite designers. her store near london's bond street always stops me dead in my tracks: the colors are vibrant and the silhouette's are bold. its fashion forward, yet very wearable, pieces that have contributed to forty solid years in the business. now she is celebrating it in a very special way. find out on my other blog, the blay beauty report.

image via chicin paris; sonia and her daughter

FROM GUCCI TO GUESS, SHOP FOR YOUR FAVORITE BRANDS WITH THE NEW DIGITAL PERSONAL SHOPPER

www - so if you are like me the number of hours you have to dedicate to shopping per week is: 0. the irony ofcourse is that you are a devout fashionista and knowing (if not necessarily affording) the latest styles is a must. now, thanks to a fabulous new site called shopittome.com - there's a solution. think of it as an online personal shopping service. you log on, in put your clothing size, color/trend preferences and most importantly, your favorite brands - and they will do the rest. each day, week, month (depending on how often you like) they will send you a salemail , or alert, that tells you which of your favorite brands are on sale and where. the service is pure genius. check it out online at www.shopittome.com.

BARACK OBAMA KEDS: THIS IS BRILLIANT

www - the man is not yet president, but he is already a legend. from the churches of harlem to the streets of milan, i've seen A LOT of pro-obama accessories, but these customized keds take the cake. you can buy these and several hundred more onine at zazzle.com.

WHAT DO POLITICIAN AL GORE & SURFER BETHANY HAMILTON HAVE IN COMMON? REALLY FABULOUS ECO-CHIC FLIP FLOPS

www - a love for the environment! that's why the duo are just two of a long list of celebs who love ocean minded footwear. one of my fave p.r girls katrina craigwell put me on to the brand. like a lot of eco-chic accessories out here, it is made from recycled materials like leathers and bamboos. but it has the added value of a truly novel cause: a portion of proceeds go towards cleaning up beaches across the globe. thats why sixteen of the worlds top surfers love this brand. and although i surf the internet more than i surf the ocean, you can add me to that list too. check out the line here. if there's something you really like, let me know and maybe i can work out a giveaway situation.

photo via ocean minded online. these shoes are called mokulua

THIS SHOULD BE TOPS ON OUR LUST LIST: DIPTYQUE'S FEU DE BOI CANDLE

www - can yall please get into diptyque? i'm sure you are already familiar with this revered french label's line of lux candles. at around $60 a pop, they are definitely not economical - but isn't that the whole point of luxury? you don't need it, but once you get a whiff of the rich fragrance you will definitely want it. for the holidays, grab one of dyptyque's most popular scent: Feu de Bois, which literally means fire place. so if you upper west side studio inconveniently lacks a fire place, you can at least substitute with this. log on to http://www.diptyqueparis.com/ for nationwide store locations.

THE HOTTEST SWEATER OF THE SEASON IS FROM....OLD NAVY!? BELIEVE IT!

worldwide - blaynistas, with all this fashion week business going on,  i've decided to rebel against aspirational fashion and talk about my favorite thing: functional fashion. enter old navy, or "viejo azul" as i like to call it. this season, they've launched a line of ultra-lux, super comfy,  sweaters that are as stylish as they are affordable. the wrap sweater is my absolute favorite because a)it flatters my figure and b)it fits my wardrobe. i can throw it over any ensemble, be it a cocktail dress or casual tee and jeans. i have the pink and blue stripped one, but i plan on expanding my collection - so i decided to show you all the options in stock. log on here to get it. at $34.50 it's a steal that looks like a splurge! 

SO WOULD YOU BUY THE ANGELINA JOLIE DOLL? AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY?

worldwideweb - you know, artists make the darndest things. check out this angelina jolie doll sculpted by noel cruz. according to dlisted.com, the lifelike doll recently sold on ebay for $3,350. cruz has also made dolls in the likeness of johnny depp, daniel craig and orlando bloom. he usually takes special commissions in case the only likeness you want to see is your own. but dude is apparently so hot that his commission book is closed. check out his site at: www.ncruz.com.

GEN ART FASHION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON YOOX.COM

worldwideweb - so you know how halston manuevered to have its stuff sold ASAP on net-a-porter, roughly 24 hours after it debuted on the runway? well, the lower-end version of that collaboration is about to launch. gen art, the new york city organization which launches fresh faces in fashion each season, has joined with online retailer, yoox.com, to do the same. now, hours after twelve emerging designers show their looks on the runway, pieces from their collection will be available online. sure, its nobody's halston - but i'm sort of excited that i can actually afford it. oh! and fyi - zac posen, sari gueron and philip lim are previous gen art designers.


picture: previous gen art designers; blogs.laweekly.com

OHMYGAH! KARL LAGERFELD WANTS TO LICK THE RAPPER...I'M SORRY, WANTS TO BE THE RAPPER

worldwide - first off, kudos to harpar's bazaar for a truly dope story! i'm prolly the last blogger in the blogosphere to pick up on this, but they did a brilliant story where they had legendary designers pick a character or person they would love to be. michael kors picked l.b jeffries from hitchcock's film, "rear window;" tyra banks famously picked michelle obama and .....girls and boys....karl lagerfeld picked "lil wayne!!!" I LIVE! I LIVE! I LIVE! haute couture and hip hop unite in the photo to the left. see lagerfeld mean mugging in hood wear for the cameras? honestly, i want him to be my daddy!

images: karl as lil wayne left, michael kors as l.b jeffries, right. all images not my own

KARL LAGERFELD LATEST PROJECT: A TEDDY BEAR INSPIRED BY HIM

worldwide - Karl Lagerfield and German teddy bear makers Steiff have joined heads to create what could probably be described as the dream toy of every little fashionista - a Karl Lagerfield teddy bear. the stuffed animal is almost identical to the white haired designer, complete with the high collar and tie, dark shades, uncomfortably (for us) tight pants, and KL logo belt. the 2,500 limited edition teddies will be sold in Neiman Marcus stores this fall at $1,500 each.

OKAY, THIS IS WHY I BLOG ABOUT FASHION: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO OF PROJECT RUNWAY DEBUTS A MATERNITY COLLECTION CALLED "FIERCE"

worldwide - yep. fierce. that's what its called. let's just pause for a second and really give thought to this eclectic name choice................................................................................................... ....................................................................................................................... are you done? i'm still pondering, but the blog must go on! so according to news sources, siriano, who won the last season of project runway has teamed up with maternity wear label, moody mamas for a special capsule collection. it is all set to go on sale on moodymamas.com in spring of 2009. as much as i want to laugh at the name and the concept, you can't deny that these clothes (see the sketches) are actually....fierce. maybe the name choice isn't such an odd one.

STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL: RONSON FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

worldwide - so check out these pics of mark, samantha and charlotte ronson in the september issue of american harper's bazaar. as you can see, it is based on the characters in the royal tennenbaum's. it's novel to see samantha ronson (lindsay lohan's main squeeze) in a sort of feminine outfit. kudos to the stylist. what do you think of it?


photosource: dlisted.com

IS THIS TREND SO WRONG IT'S RIGHT? OR SO RIGHT IT'S WRONG? OR JUST DEAD WRONG: "MANTYHOSE"

worldwide - okay. so it has a catchy name, and at first blush it sorta makes sense. panty hose are an important staple in every woman's wardrobe, so why not make it so in everyman's wardrobe....and then i think twice. i am not really into it. what do you think? feast your eyes on the picture guide on how men should wear hose. i got from randomgoodstuff.com.

IN CASE LYDIA HEARST IS YOUR FASHION ICON...

worldwide - so did i mention i interviewed her last week? i was covering national underwear day in new york city and lydia hearst was the headliner. i actually found her to be a great interview. but i digress.....hearst stalked down the read carpet in this super cute vintage number a few weeks back at the sephora 10th anniversary celebration in new york city. the dress got loads of buzz and it turns out that you can create the same for yourself by logging on to fashionfollower.com, where the dress is only $68. happy shopping!


photo: fashionfollower.com

A REAL PAGE TURNER: NEW TRIBUTE BOOK FOR COCO CHANEL

worldwide - if you read this blog and or know me personally, then you know that i am a fan of most things chanel. ( i don't live for the clothes but the bags, ballet flats and nail polish are all to die for.) later on this month author douglas kirkland will debut a new book on the legendary designer behind the legandary brand titled, coco chanel: three weeks/1962. the book promises to be choc full of never before scene pictures, offering a unique glimpse into the life of this icon. please add to your summer reading list. the book debuts august 19th, 2008.

photo: telegraph.co.uk