We all knew we would be saying goodbye to Bryant Park when the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York started.
But none of us probably imagined we would be saying adieu to designing talent, Alexander McQueen.
No doubt, many are saddened by his death.
In reflecting, I’m choosing to take a look at many of the great and memorable moments he helped shape in the fashion world.
RIP, McQueen. Continue reading
An Associated Press report today confirmed that Naomi Sims, first ever black supermodel, is dead at 61.
AP reports:
Sims, said by some to be the first black supermodel, died Saturday of breast cancer in Newark, N.J., said her brother-in-law Alexander Erwiah, the president of Naomi Sims Beauty Products. It had been decades since she left the runway to become an author and launch her own beauty empire.
Sims attained success at the same time that the “Black is Beautiful” movement was taking hold, and her accomplishments as a barrier-breaking African-American model helped pave the way for the black runway stars of the 1970s, including Pat Cleveland, Alva Chinn and Beverly Johnson.
Sims often spoke of her difficult start — as a gangly foster-care kid in Pittsburgh who towered over the other children in her school. In 1966, she came to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology on scholarship.
When she began approaching modeling agencies, she was turned down again and again — with some telling her that her skin was too dark. Instead of giving up, she pushed forward and approached photographers directly.
The approach landed her the cover of The New York Times’ August 1967 fashion supplement. She used that photo to market herself directly to advertising agencies, and within a year she was earning $1,000 a week and appearing in a national television campaign for AT&T. Before long, she was modeling for top designers.
Sims gave up modeling after five years and launched her own wig-making business geared toward black women. She eventually expanded the multimillion-dollar business to include beauty salons and cosmetics, and she wrote “All About Health and Beauty for the Black Woman” and other books.
Sims was born in Oxford, Miss., in 1948. Her parents divorced soon after she was born and her mother moved Sims and her two sisters to Pittsburgh.
Besides her son, Sims is survived by a sister, Betty, and a granddaughter.
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Information from: The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com
A while back some our fave places to shop announced their plans to cut staff.
So I wasn’t that surprised when I heard of J. Crew Group, Inc.’s plan to begin a serious cost reduction program.
According to the company’s calculations, they’ll save about $40 million before tax every year with this news strategy.
To save more they’ve begun by
If management needed suggestions on how to help boost their bottom line, they could’ve asked me!
My recommendation?
On a serious note, however, this announcement really is a sign of the times.
I’m hoping the people who lose their jobs find new (and better) gigs soon.
Have you seen the trailer for Season 5 of The Hills?
I hate to buy into the hype but it really looks like the show’s going to have all my attention for the entire season.
Heidi and Spencer’s marriage on the rocks? Lauren and Heidi’s reunion?
Wow!!
Yesterday, Audrina Patridge of MTV’s The Hills, let her blog’s readers know her house had been robbed.
Apparently surveillance cameras were able to capture the thieves at work.
Audrina’s posted the video on her official blog.
Check it out…and please help if you can.
