2012 BET Awards - The "Stongest" Looks

On IMF.blog, my coverage of Sunday night’s 2012 BET Awards will highlight what were the strongest looks from last night, in my fashion. I wanted to highlight the looks that I felt defined that individual’s style and brought a certain light to certain look that illuminated pure individuality. When I think of strong looks, I like to think about what looks were strong enough to burn an unforgettable image in our brains that we simply would not be able to forget once we have seen that look for the first time, and I like to think about what was the effect of the outfit in which a person wore that stated their relevance in reference to the nights festivities and what they do in the industry, whether they sing, model, dance, or work behind the scenes. I like to think not only about how flattering a certain look is, or how the colors make someone’s skin illuminate, I like to think of why someone would wear a certain look and what were they trying to say about themselves to their audience. Was their reasoning intelligent, or is the look flawed because its purpose for being worn is irrational, superficial, and irrelevant in retrospect to the occasion. As late editor-in-chief of US Vogue, Diana Vreeland, had said, “There is no such thing as unconscious dressing,” and I tend to agree. 

Beyoncé, Selita Ebanks, Melanie Fiona

I was thoroughly pleased to see the variety of ensembles at this year’s award show. Beyoncé was, of course, the cat’s meow as she stood out from a mile in her languid, one-sleeved, neon green sheath complete with that long slit for a bit of sexy leg exposure. This dressed worked well with Beyonce in every sense of R&B diva, but in my fashion, the fact that she was caught smiling and dancing all night (in her green number no less)  was the reason her aura was so irresistible to the cameras all night. Ex-Victoria Secret model, Selita Ebanks is always a sight to see, and I was taken aback when the cameras caught a glimpse of her jamming by herself in the audience. Her dress was so intricate looking in those few seconds I saw her, I had to find out what her entire look consisted of. This dress fits perfectly with my thoughts in my (a la mode post) in May. Longer dresses are a hot trend this summer, and these sheer skirted type dresses look beautiful when a women sweeps past you, and I love this choice for Ebanks because the colors go well with her skin, and her hair helps to balance out the structure of the dress for a feel that is glamorously “Ebank’s”. Melanie Fiona also did a sheer frock for her performance, but her floor length under dress counters Ebanks’ lack of fabric down under. What set off this look for Melanie, was Melanie herself for her voice is what had us all enthralled by her once she finished her performance. For someone to sing the way she did, calls for a dress that measures up to the talent, and this dress was certainly a dress I would have wanted to see her performing her heart out in as she did that night.



Chaka Khan, Monica

The Whitney Houston tribute brought out a plethora of stars who wanted to pay their respects to ‘The Voice’, including a slimmed up Chaka Khan! Chaka Khan blew us away when she first revealed her weight loss at an earlier performance on American Idol this year where she showed up in a flattering body suit, but this metallic number, with its large leg slit gave Beyonce a run for her money as was the biggest difference between the two was basically the color of their dresses. The way this silky dress moved as Chaka blew on stage was absolutely mesmerizing. Monica was another shock of the night that floored me! My first time seeing Monica when she revealed herself in her custom fitted Spring 2010 Alexander McQueen dress extended with a train, I was unprepared for the rush of goose bumps I felt. Her ubiquitous stage presence with that dress grappled my eyes attention, especially with that metallic tangerine color of the inside lining. As Creative Director for McQ, Sarah Burton, has said before, “There’ll always be a McQueen woman. She is a strong woman and she is a powerful woman, and when she puts a McQueen jacket on, she feels different. The way she stands is different. The way she moves is different. It’s almost like the clothes are slightly empowering.” This is the quote I thought of when I saw this dress. Her wearing the dress was almost as much homage to the late Alexander McQueen as it was for Whitney.  Then, when I saw this photo of her red carpet look in all maroon (one of my personal favorite colors), I was sold right there on the notion that Monica was in the top tiers of the best dressed of the night.

Jay-Z, Kanye West, Miguel, Big Sean

In regards to the men, I was so very happy to see the following men who dared to be different. When we saw Jay-Z come on stage during Kanye West’s acceptance speech, one of the most memorable moments of the night, I know everyone was impressed (or not) by Jay-Z’s ensemble with his white shoes being the cherry on top. Either way, if you didn’t like it, I am sure you won’t forget it. Take notes men, for this was definitely a dashing professional look worthy of duplicating for oneself in the office (especially if you played with different color combos). I always enjoy Kanye’s looks for they are always so simple, chic in its own right, yet futuristically trendy. I loved his boxy shirt that had fine details on top of eggshell white that I found interestingly edgy, and I would love to feel how that shirt feels for the fabric looks to be very soft and comfortable. Miguel had a look that I felt went with his continuum of sartorial ingenuity. Everything on him is always to the “T” fitted, and sharply executed. When I think of his looks I can’t help but to be reminded of a razor. I loved that he wore all red, a hard thing for a male to do well, in my fashion, and his touches of gold, with the black and white Sophie’s, were excellent additions to pull the look together in a sort of antique, modern appeal, which matches his stylistic sound. Big Sean is one that is clearly in another pool of fashion, for his looks are always daringly sexy in a “Cool Joe” way that so coyly begs the question, “I know what I am wearing. What of it?” I applaud Big Sean immensely for I feel he is pioneering a new look for the new age of hip-hop we are going through. Check out his interview I found a while back with GQ magazine on his passion for his trademark piece (or pieces, for that matter)—chains.

READing Your Style: "The Big O Campaign"

VSU professor, Dr. Rodney Gaines

Reading the Richmond Free Press last week, in the “Sports” section I came across an article highlighting a local “Bodybuilding Champion” . Me having always been perpetually skinny all my life, I’ve always admired people who were able to be worthy of participating in competitions such as that.

The “Bodybuilding Champion” in the spotlight happens to be a strength-conditioning coach and associate professor at Virginia State University’s Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sports Management. His name is Dr. Rodney Gaines, and he is the nephew of the late Othaniel Gaines who had owned a restaurant-nightclub in Tappahannock, Virginia called “The Big O”, where right behind it was a baseball diamond he named the “The Big O” as well. It was here where Mr. Rodney Gaines practiced baseball, which eventually earned him a spot on the baseball team of his alma mater, Virginia Tech. 

With a handsome 47-inch chest, and 27-inch waist, despite having been diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, he has gained awards in this year’s Masters and Open divisions at the Glass Scepter Bodybuilding Championships in Ohio; he won the Masters (40-over) title in the Arizona State National (drug-free) Championships in Arizona; and furthermore, he is the 1995 Mr. Virginia Contest winner. At the end of 2011, he was elected President of the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (VAHPERD) [source].

Gaines (far left) participarting in the
Natural Physique Association Championships

What intrigued me most about this article are his efforts on the front of obesity. Considering I graduated from an HBCU myself, (Norfolk State University), I was very proud to find out that Mr. Gaines has initiated “The Big O Campaign”, a campaign he is involving HBCU’s across the country to fight the growing obesity epidemic. This venture will also try to encourage more minorities to participate in the field of exercise science and strength training. I think this is a marvelous effort for Mr. Gaines to pursue for I feel the more that health is stressed to the public, the more people will want to conform to the consensus of attaining good health and wellness. I feel in our modern era of eating for convenience, we tend to overlook the long term affects of our poor eating decisions and over-indulge in gluttonous behavior, sans a challenging workout regimen to make up for our appetites. Maybe it’s not so much that we eat too much, or we eat the wrong things, but I feel that actually committing ourselves to a workout is the hardest part.  Mr. Gaines is reported to not only lift weights, but he commits to a 12-mile run on top of lifting and he is said to feel depressed and stressed when he doesn’t workout [source]. I often feel that way as well when I go a morning without at least going through some sort of intense routine on a daily basis. In light of Mr. Gaines and his commitment to fitness, I have included a few tips from Weight Loss Specialist, Micheal Glatter on some good reasons to remember to exercise everyday to beat the battle of the bulge. 

Here are the top 3 ways that your body will feel better with exercise:

This past weekend he was to have participated in the National Physique Association event in Norfolk; then he is slated to be heading abroad June 23 for the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation in Barbados, and to the Czech Republic June 30 for the International Natural Bodybuilding Association finals. I will be keeping up with Mr. Gaines’ program more on IMF.blog to see how it develops. In the spirit of looking good to feel good, I say this: DON’T BE LAZY!  

The Reopening of Elsa Schiaparelli's Doors

Silhouette of Elsa Schiaparelli

I’m sure that after hearing news of the 2012 MET Costume Institutes exhibition, “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations”, many of us were stumped when we heard the word “Schiaparelli”. Considering she closed her salon doors in 1954 even though we may not have known who she was considering our modern era of popular designers (i.e. Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Calvin Klien); her influence spawned many of the principals and developments of modern fashion.  The real exciting news about the fashion house is that they will be reopening this July, and at the same salon Schiap’s original salon was located in Paris, no less! Farida Khelfa has been named the new brand ambassador, but we will have to wait until October until they announce their Creative Director [source]. Below are some more photos from the exhibition, courtesy of Models.com, and once again, going back to my personal “Bible of Fashion”, “In My Fashion”, by Bettina Ballard, I wanted use Ms. Ballard’s words as evidence of Schiaparelli’s greatness and splendor, and what we should be expecting to see from this design house who will be picking up where it left off more than 50 year ago:

“The 1930’s was height of her fame…In later years, when times softened, the very things that had helped make her fame now played her false. She belonged to a definite space of time in which she filled a definite fashion need. She changed the outline of fashion from soft to hard, from vague to definite…If Schiaparelli’s strong fashion dictatorship did not survive the war it was because she belonged to indelibly to the calculated frivolity of prewar Paris.”

 “She branched out into the couture to glorify the hard elegance of the ugly woman.”

   “To be shocking was the snobbism of the moment, and she was the leader in this art…Paris was in a mood for shocks and Elsa Schiaparelli could present hers in well-cut forms and with an elegance that no one could deny.”

  “The only person who really counted in her life was her daughter, Gogo, and everything that either the mother of daughter did or said was news. Schiaparelli’s genius for publicity has been rivaled only by Christian Dior. Her outspokenness during her days of fame was all part of the Schiaparelli shock treatment.”

“She was clever in persuading such artists as Berard, Cocteau, Drian, and Vertes to do prints for her before designer prints had ever been thought of…She worked on mad new fabrics with Colcombet and Staron, prodding them on to daring experiments that frightened their conservative souls….She permitted Vertes to paint sophisticated, faintly suggestive advertisements for her perfume called “Shocking” which created a new, seductive approach to the sale of perfume.”

  “Certainly she used color with the boldness of Picasso, and the drama that she produced with black was even more outspoken than that with colors, particularly her use of gold embroidery with black."

“Schiaparelli’s clothes were always photogenic, and no artist ever did a bad sketch of a model (sample piece of clothing)—they had such sureness of line, such boldness…many of the smartest women wore her clothes to the smartest places where they were invariably targets for every camera…When she introduced the long dinner suit for evening wear, it became a uniform for concerts, theaters, and night clubs, overshadowing all softer, more feminine costumes, particularly when towering hats or feather headdresses were added.”

You can see how society celebrated the opening of this exhibition at the annual MET Gala here.

Award Show Season Best Looks: The Grammy's 2012



Jessie J in Juien Macdonald, Lady Gaga in Custom Chanel,
Rihanna in Custom Giorgio Armani

Award season is upon us and we have already marked the Golden Globes, and SAG awards off the list for this year. Here on IMF.blog, the way that I will be highlighting and reporting on celebrity style choices for award shows will be through my new side-feature on my blog called, "Award Show Season Best Looks". When an award show occurs, I will highlight my three favorite looks of the night, and do a mini-analysis of why I think they look phenomenal. Take a look at my choices for this past Sunday as we were entertained by the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. Unfortunately the night before, on that Saturday, February 11, 2012,  it was announced that beloved, Whitney Houston (48) , passed away. Ms. Houston was by far one of the greatest singers this world has ever known with a style worth every thousand dollar, and considering her legacy, she has been an inspiration to people on a magnitude that surpasses even the highest of standards. In my fashion, becoming a source of inspiration is the greatest gift a person can attain in this life.

Whitney Houston 1963-2012
We will always love you

Vogue Makes a Cameo at the Superbowl

Looking just like old times, but wearing a Givenchy couture dress,

Bulgari jewels and a custom Phillip Treacy headpiece [Photo: Rickey.org]

Okay, so lets be honest. As big of a deal as it was for the New England Patriots and New York Giants to be duking it out at the Superbowl this past Sunday for the second time in two years, it was the fashionably awesome comeback of the Queen of Pop, Madonna, that most everyone was waiting for. A reported 50 million viewers were to have stopped watching the Superbowl after she performed. For more than twelve minutes, Madonna transformed the testosterone laden arena into one of the largest fashion displays. The look was black, gold, and red, leather pleated skirts, marching band uniforms, spikes, studs, and glitter, boots, boots, and more boots. The motif, Gladiator. She performed on a well lit stadium floor of animated Vogue magazines, and she had multiple appearances by other stylish artists, such as the always electrifying, Nicki Minaj, an off-the-wall M.I.A, the routy, LMFAO boys, and the mystifying, Cee-Lo Green.

Keeping the show interesting with appearances from LMFAO, Nicki Minaj,
and M.I.A showed she can keep up with us 20-somethings, am I right? 

Twitter was alive throughout the night, but the most popular tweets I observed about Madonna was how well she looked for her age. Because of previous mishaps during the Superbowl halftime in the past (i.e. Janet Jackson, ), Madonna's performance was definitely a lot less raunchy and risque, but the energy she put into the spectacle was, of course, above par! Now, me being a huge advocate of good health and fitness, I wake up every morning to workout, alternating between yoga, and aerobic strength workouts. Now, can you imagine how much working out you would have to do to have the stamina she had in order to put on that flawless spectacle? She covered the entire stage, she sang, she was up and down steps, did a few flips, sang, made slight costume changes, and at one point she was on top of LMFAO as seen above. Oh yes, and did I mention she was singing the entire time. There are people twenty years old now who I bet couldn't even perform the first few eight counts, and sing at the same time! Read on to find out why...