JUST HAD TO SHARE: WHITNEY HOUSTON

wow.

london---i just blasted her for looking a mess, but i'm going to do an about face: whitney houston looks fabulous. my friend miya, forwarded me these photos earlier and i just came across them. they are of houston at london's fashion rock's event which took place earlier this month. both she and bobby christina look absolutely luminous. with that said, this still proves my earlier point: she seems to only look good for events, but in her "real life" looks crispy. just saying...

THE RUNDOWN: WHITNEY HOUSTON

whitney touches down at an airport. (pic from www.theybf.com)

los angeles -- okay. i get it. whitney houston is a recovering.....? but is that an excuse to look sloppy. methinks not! look at kate moss, naomi campbell and even nicole ritchie, all celebs who have at one time or another (allegedly) been addicted. no matter how bad the habit, they always managed to sleek and stylish. whitney could take a page out of their book by stepping her paparazzi photo game up. whenever she's at an award show she looks glam. but left on her own, she's consistently sloppy. i'm over it. now that she's looking half-way sober, i need her to start looking half way stylish - something that this tired looking ensemble is not. (never mind the little girl on the right, i have no idea who she is. and she gets a pass for that outfit as she looks under the age of 15.)

UNDER WHERE? TOM BRADY FOR CALVIN KLEIN

the shirt looks good, but i for one can't wait to see it off. (photo from towleroad.com)

new york-- it's endorsements all around this year. and latest on the long list of celebs hawking goods is patriots quarterback (and gisele's boyfriend) tom brady. according to gossip rag, in touch magazine, the company has approached him with a $1 million offer to be their latest campaign man. he'd be following in the footsteps - or briefs - of some pretty big players. literally. we are talking mark whalberg, and my all time favorite, djimon honsou. nothing has been confirmed yet, and i'll keep you posted on details.

SHAQ & PAIGET: O'NEAL STEPS HIS (FASHION) GAME UP

shaq attacks on a whole new level: o'neal's watch from audermars piguet. (photo from wwd)

miami--shaquille o'neal has just stepped into the world of fashion. instead of a clothing line, he's linked up with venerable watch label, audermars piguet to launch the (get ready, it's a mouthful) audemars piguet royal oak offfshore shaquille o'neal chronograph. like the championship player, this watch is no joke. it comes in stainless steel or white gold options with diamond settings. it's a limited collection edition with 960 stainless steel versions being sold at $27,000 and only 96 white gold versions being sold at a whopping $75,000.

ROCKSTAR ROBERTO: CAVALLI LINE LAUNCHES MAYHEM AT H&M

something like a rockstar: wwd.com captures fans as they line up to pay up for h&m's cavalli pieces. (all photos from wwd.com)

new york + london -- honestly, where to start? i guess the first thing would be to beg and plead that any of you with personal stories or personal pics from the roberto cavalli line launch please send them to me so i can post and share with other blaynistas. besides that, wow. as you can imagine the elbow grease and nasty attitudes were out in full force at new york - and now london - where roberto cavalli's diffusion line for h&m debuted. according to wwd's awesome article on the new york launch, over 250 people waited outside for hours for the store to open and to get a glimpse of cavalli who was in full ham mode. according to the reporter, he asked the crowd to "tell me how much you love me," a question to which they all responded, "we love you. we love you." figures out yet out on how much the store grossed from initial sales, but at roughly $80 o $100 a piece, i'm sure they turned a pretty penny. today is london's day as cavalli launches at h&m too. i would've waited online to purchase some pieces too, but i'm pound poor at the moment. i will swing by later on to take some photos for my blaynistas.

A NOTE TO MY READERS

worldwide--blaynista's please excuse current and future hiccups in posting. i am trying to get permanent internet service at my new digs in london. but until then, my internet connection goes on and off, which interrupts the daily flow of my blogging. will be handled soon! xx,zb

CASHMERES & KHAKI: UNIQLO LAUNCHES IN LONDON

while running errands on oxford road, i ran into a bunch of people outside the two new uniqlo stores handing out flyers for the store. (they got paid $120 a day for the gig!) ofcourse, i had to snap a photo. want more personal pics of my "new" life in london? go here!

london--uniqlo launched in london on wednesday night and it was no joke. the launch party was a star studded affair that drew musicians, socialites and b-listers alike. i'm not sure exactly whose who, but the name peaches geldof rings a bell. (looks like she's sort of a big deal in london town.) and she was in attendance. the fete marked the openening of not 1 but 2 uniqlo stores on oxford road, lodon's retail mecca. if you've been in a elsewhere in the world - then you know what it their clothes are giving: simple, stylish staples. good luck, not to uniqlo, but to gap which keeps getting dusted by them.

AGENT OF CHANGE: LILY ALLEN'S NEW GIG

soon you'll see her in her skivvies (pic from blogmedia.thenewstribune.com)

london--singer lily allen has been tapped as agent provocateur's new face - or shall i say body. she follows in the footsteps on celebs like dita von teese, kate moss, and maggie gylenhall. maggie was a random selection, but if at all possible, i think allen is an even more random selection....it's not that she's not skinny or sultry. it's just that she's not believable as a sex symbol, an aspirational sex symbol, or even an "everywoman" sex symbol. not into it. don't get it. and wouldn't buy $250 panties because of it. plus, what happened to the days of sticking with a spokesmodel for more than six months. as soon as they announce you is just as soon as they pick the next one.