THE BLAY REPORT FASHION FACE OFF: VIBE MAGAZINE EDITOR, JANELLE GRIMMOND versus PERSIA WHITE

hollywood star persia white  versus new york city fashion editor janelle grimmond: who do you pick?

new york - janelle grimmond, or j.madison, as i call her is a close friend so you know who i choose. favorites aside though, grimmond definitely adds a fun, flirty, demure and sexy flair to the piece. t.v actress persia white, true to her personality makes the same missoni dress feel a bit edgier with her noir bangs and jet black nylons. both look great, but who won this face off?

OHMYGAH!!!!!!! FOREVER 21 HAS A REALLY GOOD WEBSITE + REALLY GOOD JONATHAN SAUNDERS KNOCKOFFS

somebody PLEASE tell me the difference!? this shizz can't be right - or legal! the jonathan saunders original on thandie newton probably costs hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. the forever 21 knockoff on the right is only $22.50. so.....which would you buy?

same thing here! the top shop one on the right is under $50, while the kenneth jay lane original is about $220. geeze! thanks to fashionista.com for photos!

worldwide - blaynista's, honestly? my heart goes out to designers. it's patently unfair that their hard work can be so easily ripped off by mass retailers like top shop and forever 21. but what may be bad for that select group of professionals is utterly perfect for budget-wise fashionistas.  i was researching a story i saw on fashionista.com,  when i decided to check out forever21's website. (www.forever21.com). first of all, for a very cheap/mass store their website is brilliant. it's actually brilliant period. it's very user friendly, shows off their entire collection in a fun way and just makes you lust after their sexy summer dresses - like the EXACT copy of a jonathan saunders dress above. wow....no shame. 

WHAT IS GWYNETH PALTROW'S ULTIMATE STYLE SECRET!!!!???

the many faces of our new patron saint of the red carpet, gwyneth paltrow. (fashionologie.com)

worldwide - honestly, it's been insane. i used to barely pay attention to gwyneth paltrow. she just did not thrill me. not a bit. but lately - my goodness. day after day sees in her headline after headline in striking gowns. no, they are not always beautiful but they always celebrate fash-on! (rhymes with lanvin, pronounced lahn-vaugn). weather in balcenciaga or dior or vuitton, she's really taking effortless style to new - dizzying -heights. i hate to gush and trust me, i NEVER thought i'd be gushing over gwinnie. but she deserves it. or rather, her stylists do. fashionologie.com reported that stylists maria serra and anna bingemann are the secret duo behind gwyneth's amazing style. kudos to you and your assistants' girls! 

I LOVE, I LIVE, I LUST: PROENZA SCHOULER'S RESORT COLLECTION

yeah....i know. the letters are bigger than the photos. log on to www.frillr.com to check them out in full.

new york - you know what absolutely turns me on about these looks? a) how strong and structural they are. these are clothes that command attention, even on a leisurely holiday.  b) i love how sparse and minimalist the collection is. there is something powerful about having only five options. you either love it or leave it. kudos boys! zb

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TO RELAUNCH HIS BELOVED AD CAMPAIGNS, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST SINCE 2003: THIS IS THE MODEL HE CHOSE FOR IT...

worldwide - her name is alice gibb. she's british. she's seventeen and she actually opened his spring/summer 2008 rtw collection. that's her above. whatcha think? i loves! 

TWO STORES DOWN, 268 TO GO: TO TAKE OVER THE U.S

shots from a mango ad campaign with the cruz sisters, and a shot of the interior of the new flushing, queens, new york location for mango.

new york - okay! so i am being a bit dramatic in my headline, but the numbers are correct. barcelona based retailer mango (you might know them for their collaboration with the actress penelope cruz and her sister) has just opened a second store in new york. it's surprisingly situated in flushing queens in has a whopping 7,000 square feet of space spread out over two floors.  this is the second store to open in the states, following the first store in soho.  jose gomez, vice president of business development for mango said, " the market will tell us how many stores we can open. in spain we have 270 stores. we could replicate that number." good luck! in my personal opinion mango is a solid retailer (good design, moderate quality, mid-level prices) but i don't know if it's merchandise if unique enough to truly stand out in an already crowded retail market place in the states. thoughts?

I KNOW YOU HEARD....JONATHAN SAUNDERS PICKED BY TARGET

worldwide - jonathan saunders it the latest - and lucky - designer picked by target to collaborate with them. his pieces will launch worldwide in october of this year. the british designer follows in some pretty good foot steps: alice temperly, luella bartley and erin featherson are just a few of the bold-faced designers who have collaborated with target in the past. jonathan is also celebrating a new gig as creative director of pollini. suuuhweeet! 

HONESTLY? THIS IS A REALLLLYYYY BIG DEAL: H&M TO OPEN STORE IN SAUDI ARABIA

women in saudi arabia in what is traditional garb for many of them. (thereligionofpiece.com)

saudi arabia - so this is why i think fashion is a major catalyst for change in our society. it might sound pretentious and random and insignificant, but h&m is opening a store in saudi arabia, specifically in the city of riyadh. the swedish owned store will be managed by alshaya group, a saudi company. speaking at the world economic forum mohammed alshaya, head of the alshaya group, said,"we will increase the number of women working for us and will have 40 in saudi arabia...it will have challenges, but we have to do it as this is part of our social responsibility to women in saudi arabia." the has very strict laws regarding men and women interacting in public, so the opportunity to build a growing workforce of women is extremely significant.yet another reason to fall in deep love with h&m. kudos.