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Princella Talley

The Jason Wu for Target Collection hits stores tomorrow

Prepare for the mayhem both online and in stores

Fashion lovers everywhere are more than likely gearing up as you read this to head to Target tomorrow to grab pieces from the Jason Wu collection.

Many of us remember the craziness that ensued when Missoni released its collection at the store. People camped out before opening hours. The Target website crashed.  It was every fashionista for herself, and it’s safe to assume that history will soon repeat itself.

Wu is a refreshing designer who has dressed A-listers such as Natalie Portman and Michelle Obama. He uses rich fabrics and intricate designs, and as you can see from the lookbook, he likes to keep things classy, feminine, and edgy.

If you plan to snag some of his wonderful items, know that there will be lots of well-dressed competition. To stay ahead of the pack, follow these tips and hope for the best.

The best of beauty products: No. 7 Cosmetics

It’s always something that marks the transition from a child to an adult or a beauty amateur to a beauty powerhouse. As a fashion lover, one of my first thresholds was crossed when I changed my magazine subscriptions. Sure, that’s small, but it held a sort of personal significance. Another small transition that had yet to be made until recently involved lip gloss. You see, when it comes to clothing and trends, I’m pretty current but when it comes to beauty products and make-up, my credentials aren’t something to be proud of.

Do I know about foundations and primers? No. I’ve only heard of such things because others mentioned them. But, I do happen to be a lip gloss connoisseur. So many colors, so many brands, so much shiny awesomeness. Still, after I while I began to think that I wanted to move forward from the same go to products that I had been wearing since high school. Here enters No. 7.

Introduced to me by a Las Vegas beauty consultant, the No. 7 lipstick lines are beautifully noticeable and full of moisture. The look is enhanced even further when you apply it with a lip brush. It’s pretty much all the moisture of lip gloss with the elegance and glamour of bold lip color. This product line also sells a very wide and diverse range of products and relies mostly on word of mouth to sell, and it can also be bought online. I may not know much about foundations and primers yet, but this great lipstick will make up for it for now.

Anywho, on your next beauty adventure, look for the No. 7 products. More than likely, you will be raving about them just as much as me.

Italy uses fashion to address the captain of Costa Concordia

An Italian T-shirt slogan makes a relevant statement

Pretty much everyone knows (or has at least heard) about the unfortunate fate of the cruise ship that was Costa Concordia. Not surprisingly, the fashion world has also taken notice of this event – and especially Captain Francesco Schettino, who is getting a lot of heat for his actions regarding the crisis.

Italy is not pleased with such a captain and the country is making sure to add insult to the injury that has already been done to the captain’s reputation. So what’s the best way to do this? Make a statement on clothing, of course. T-shirts are spreading quickly that boldly display the phrase, “Vada a bordo, Cazzo!” ( which means “Get back on board for —-’s sake!” in English, as told by ABC News).This slogan was brought about because Coast Guard Captain Gregorio DeFalco yelled it at Schettino as he sat in a lifeboat away from the dangers of his ship.

Such a slogan is displayed in good taste because while the event itself is traumatic, this part of the conversation shows the bravery and loyalty that the captain was expected to have when it came to the passengers aboard his ship.

The slogan also looks pretty nice on a shirt and that’s always a good thing.

Diary of an Anonymous Fashion Assistant

A must read for all fashion lovers

The awesome site of Fashionista has began an equally awesome column that is sure to please anyone that loves fashion and great stories. It’s titled “Diary Of An Anonymous Fashion Assistant” and here is the introduction to the series as posted on the website:  

“Introducing a new column, Diary of an Anonymous Fashion Assistant, where our contributor, who shall henceforth be known as Blair Mercer, dishes about the daily life of a fashion assistant at a major fashion mag at a major publishing house. She’s hauled sacks of Louboutins through the Sahara, been wrestled by Colonel Gaddafi’s guards at a five star hotel in Paris and was physically scarred by an A-list celeb. She’ll tell you all about it.”

The introduction is only the beginning because the full stories are addicting and summing them up would do them no justice. All that can be said is read them for yourself. Entry One and Two have been posted so far, so it’s still early enough in the game to not fall too far behind. As to whether there’s a bit of embellishment in these tales or not, they are so fun to read, who really cares?

Doggie couture will be featured during New York Fashion Week

Dog lovers are everywhere. They want their dogs to eat the healthiest foods, be comfortable at all times, and they also want them to be dressed to impress. The cute factor of doggie clothes never gets old and the world of doggie couture will be highlighted at the New Yorker Hotel on February 10th as a part of New York Fashion Week.

The hot dogs that will be walking the runway will model the New Yorkie label for pets. The proceeds will then be used to support the Angel on a Leash organization.

Gone are the days of clearance gear at Petsmart for these pooches. They are living in high style and many have high expectations for them as they walk the runway and, more than likely, steal the show.

Read more at CBS News.

Blue Ivy and pink slips

Employees of the fashion label Rocawear were laid off the day before Blue Ivy Carter’s birth

On the day before the birth of Jay-Z and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy, 28 employees were laid off that worked for the Boys and Men’s department of Rocawear. Rocawear was the fashion line created by Jay-Z, but it is now owned by Iconix Group, which is ran by  Real Housewife of New Jersey, Jaqueline Laurita.

The reasons for the layoffs were cited as ‘economic’ and they very well may be. While Jay-Z reportedly still cares about the brand, he is no longer interested in dedicating himself to it or its promotion. Rocawear is also facing a lawsuit, and recently ignited a good amount of controversy by striking the wrong chords of Occupy Wall Street protestors with the $22 ‘Occupy All Streets’ tee shirts. Not only were the shirts said to be “overpriced pieces of cotton” by an Occupy rep, the label also failed to donate any funding to support the movement.

One girl born, 28 fashion overseers of boys and men clothing released. Life is strange like that sometimes.

Read more at the Daily Mail.

How to be happy with your hair change

Understanding why women alter their hair and how to do it right

In light of the recent announcement that Katy Perry would be designing her own line of eyelashes with Eylure that will be made available next month at Ulta, I was led on a train of thought that was both superficial and somewhat meaningful. The superficial side of the brain immediately thought of how great her hair change was in early December. The other half of my noggin reminded me that Katy’s divorce was made public not too long after, and how common it is that many women tend to make drastic hair changes as a result of changes in relationships and lifestyle.

Personally, I’m guilty of cutting my hair when I feel like a major change has happened in my life and I color it when I feel bored and outdated. Studies have shown that there are more than a few reasons that women change their hair. Yet, the scary part of this study lies in the fact that it is also common for women to be unhappy with the changes made.

So how do you avoid the trauma of a bad hairstyle? Here are a few tips.

1. Understand that your emotions may change faster than your hairstyle. While you may feel edgy and bold enough for a Chinese bob with blunt bangs and hot pink streaks at the moment, you may miss your naturally long ponytail and softer look in the near future.

2. Try on hairstyles. Upload your picture to a virtual style site and find the look that best suits you. If you need more assurance, go to a hair store where you can try on wigs to get a feel of what your preference might be based on how the styles compliment your face.

3. Wait it out. As hard as it might be not to rush to your salon, it can be best to wait. Give it about two weeks to a month and see if your idea changes. If it does, then you run the risk of choosing a style you may not like for long. If your mind remains on the same look, then go for it.

Alas, nothing is foolproof. So, if you still end up with a cut  or color that you don’t like, you can always opt for some Katy Perry eyelashes to make you feel better.

The guys are looking great for Milan Fashion Week

It’s Fashion Week in Milan and all of the menswear is looking quite spiffy thus far. There were interesting hints of color added to classy and understated wardrobes, and for any of the times that men have been underrepresented in fashion, recent developments could definitely count as vengeance on their behalf.

There is a very nice video stream of Burberry’s Prorsum collection for men that is now up for viewing and here is a quick summary of the looks and designers that debuted.

Burberry offered a collection that was charming and impressive. As reported by the New Zealand Herald, Christopher Bailey of Burberry spoke about the line, saying; “I wanted the attitude to be polite. I wanted it to feel charming. I think it is important to smile. I think that is what fashion is also about, making you think and making you smile. You don’t always have to be serious.”

Dolce & Gabana showed off an extremely luxurious collection.

Costume National displayed a rather interesting and multifunctional collection while blending different styles into one single piece.

Jil Sander kept things dark and edgy.

And Ermenegildo Zegna pulled out patterns and colors that represent the modern man who wants to be comfortable but is prepared to be on the move.

For more details, click here.  

In the fashion world, size 6 can mean "plus size"

As sad as it is true, being more than a size 5 can categorize you as a plus size model in the industry. We know that thin is in in most cases, but this takes things to the extreme. Separating the “kind of beautiful” that a woman is based on her dress size has been a part of fashion for as long as many of us can remember, but these types of standards are more than just surprising; they are extremely unhealthy.

This may not seem like a big deal to a woman that isn’t setting her goals on strutting the runway or posing for fashion advertisements, but one has to consider how close the relationships are between models, designers, and consumers (us). Our favorite products and clothing are most often displayed on models, and whether or not we realize it; we are sometimes sold on items because of how good it looks on the model that’s wearing it.

The standards of beauty that these women are having to uphold will certainly have an even greater impact on teens and pre-teens who view modeling as an amazing career and tend to look to successful models as inspiration. Many young ladies want to be glamorously beautiful and noticed by everyone so it’s scary to think of the damage that could be done to a girl’s self esteem just because she may be curvier, whether it be due to genes or just a few extra pounds.

What lengths are some of these models going to in order to stay so small and what lengths will some normal women go to just to keep up with them?

Adrianna Lima recently revealed her extreme dieting methods. Even worse is that more than a few models have died from eating disorders, such as 28-year-old Isabelle Caro, whose story was a very heartbreaking one.  As recounted by ABC News, “the average fashion model weighed 8 percent less than the average woman. Today, she weighs 23 percent less. Plus-size models have shrunk, too. A decade ago, plus-size models averaged between size 12 and size 18. Today, the majority of plus-size models an agency boards are between size 6 and size 14.”

The fact is that most normal-sized and healthy women are not as thin as fashion models and products are not being marketed fairly to the everyday women that contribute their money that keeps designers in business. Whether a size 2 or 22, a woman should feel good while shopping and even better about the way she looks in her clothes.

Some people in the industry understand this concept and are speaking out. Plus Model magazine has a great write-up with beautiful images to match on the subject of weight and beauty. We can only hope that other bigwigs in the industry will take note so that we can all embrace one another’s appearances and use it as a form of empowerment to celebrate the unique beauty and diversity that is a part of every woman.

Politics meet with fashion as part of the Obamas' re-election campaign

Remember the 2008 Runway to Change collection that was a part of the Obama campaign? Well, things have come full circle as the Runway To Win campaign is underway. None other than the iconic Anna Wintour is leading this movement and the star power behind her is quite strong.

So far, 22 well-known designers are in on this one including Joseph Altuzarra, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs, Sean John, Beyonce and Tina KnowlesTracy Reese, Rachel Roy, Russell SimmonsAlexander Wang, Vera WangJason Wu, and Rag & Bone.

The looks created by these high profile designers will be based around the Obamas, of course, and some of the products can be seen and preorded before the February 7th debut. It’s safe to assume that the line will most likely keep things reasonable and more on the casual side because being relatable seems to be something the Obama family wants to pride themselves on.

Still, we will have to wait to see all of the style choices in support of this campaign so until then, read more on the official Obama/Biden blog, at The Huffington Post, and at The Look on Today.