Versace for H&M Launch Party

Yesterday when I did my Versace post I had no idea that the official launch party for the Versace for H&M line was taking place that same night.  Last night, Donatella Versace hosted a private launch party for the highly anticipated collection in New York.  Celebrities came out in droves to get the first look of the collection which will  not debut in H&M stores until November 19th at 8am.  They were treated to a complete runway show.  Nicki Minaj (who performed) was spotted along with other big names like Prince (who also performed), Jennifer Hudson, Jessica Alba, Blake Lively, Uma Thurman, and Supermodel Linda Evangelista just to name a few.  A lot of guests showed up wearing pieces from the bold, colorful collection.

Jessica Alba was cutesy in a black and gold sparkly dress from the Collection

Selma Blair arrived in one of the many pieces from the line

Blake Lively looked cute in a black and white ensemble.

Jennifer Hudson looked cute

The legendary Prince was spotted in the audience before the start of the show

Singer Ke$ha showed up in a cute leopard print jumpsuit.(I would hate to see what she looked like from the back)  

Nicki Minaj turned it all the way up in a cute, colorful, mixed print from the Collection.  She even stayed in tune with the green palm tree theme by wearing green hair with a palm tree leaf stuck in it.

Close-up of the palm tree

Donatella Versace

And here are some of my favorite looks from the Versace for H&M Collections that were debuted last night:

The Collection also includes mens wear

This is a picture of what the in-store display will look like

Immediately following the show, guests were allowed to shop the collection. The perfect end to the night was the Afterparty where Nicki Minaj and Prince performed.

Check out the video below for footage from the show and red carpet interviews:

I am soooooo EXCITED about this line!  I love everything I have seen so far and can not wait until it launches next weekend.  Are you as excited as I am about the line? Do you plan on making any purchases? 

Versace Re-Issues Iconic Silk Print Shirts

Versace has re-issued a limited number of its classic printed silk shirts that were ever so popular in the 1990's.  The shirts will be available in all Versace stores worldwide as well as select department stores, boutiques and online shops.  Versace decided to re-release the classic silk shirts after seeing various runway collections  filled with obvious inspiration from its late 90's trend.

Here are pictures of the re-released iconic silk print shirts:

*Photo Credit

Rappers Tyga, Drake, and Flo-Rida were all spotted recently wearing silk Versace shirts:

Tyga wore this Versace Silk Barocca Print Shirt in a spread for Rap-Up Magazine

Tyga's Young Money label mate Drake wore the same Versace Silk Barocca Print shirt in a different color to his 25th birthday celebration at TAO

Rapper Flo-Rida was spotted in the same shirt at TAO as part of his Young Jeezy Halloween costume.  I have so many questions here: 1). Why is he dressing up as Jeezy for Halloween?  2). When has Jeezy ever worn a silk Versace shirt or anything silk for that matter? 3). Who would have even been able to guess that he was dressed as Jeezy?  Ok, I have so many more, but I'll stop there....

Lady Gaga wearing a classic silk print Versace shirt

And unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Versace is releasing a collection for H&M that will be available in  H&M stores November 19, 2011 at 8am.  Check out the full women and men's collection here

Michelle Obama Wears a DVF Replica

First Lady, Michelle Obama, wore a black and orange striped dress to the White House Halloween party to hand out candy and other healthier treats.  The colors in the dress were very fitting for the occasion which I'm pretty sure is the reason Mrs. Obama (or whomever) selected the dress to wear to the Halloween event.

Perfect for a Halloween event or party, right?

However, the First Lady is being criticized because the dress, which came from Asos appears to be a "knock-off" of Diane von Furstenberg's Savannah Striped Dress from the designer's Fall 2011 collection.

The dress Mrs. Obama wore from Asos is on the left and the DVF Original is on the right.

The Asos version of the dress retails for $72, while the DVF dress retails for $498.  Both dresses vary in color and the neckline on both dresses are different.  Mrs. Obama is being criticized all over the 'net for wearing a knock-off.  The Obamas just can't catch a break, can they? I don't see what the big deal is.  Clearly Mrs. Obama has the money and can afford a DVF original dress, but maybe she wasn't even aware that the Asos dress was a knock-off of the famous designer.  Perhaps, she wasn't even the one who picked out the dress.  I mean....maybe she chose the Asos version over the DVF because the colors were more suitable for Halloween.  Or how about she probably didn't care that it was a replica and thought it made more $ense to make a more affordable purchase.

I think the fact that Mrs. Obama shops on asos.com alone shows her realness and how down-to-earth she is because that is one of my favorite online shopping sites.  The Obamas will always be in a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" situation no matter what.  Now had she gone with the nearly $500 DVF Savannah Striped dress, she would have probably been criticized for spending that much money on a dress being the First Lady during a time of economic turmoil.  As a matter of fact, she was criticized in the past for wearing an expensive pair of Lanvin sneakers to a food bank.  It's likely that she reflected back on that unnecessary criticism and wanted to avoid any of that this time around by selecting a cheaper alternative dress.

I think Mrs. Obama looks great and the fact that she knows how to be frugal at times is a great reflection of her being the First Lady.  Nothing is wrong with being a budget fashionista, even when you are the First Lady.  What do you think about Mrs. Obama wearing a "knock-off"?

Real Men Wear Kilts

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Watch the Throne concert featuring Jay Z and Kanye West here in Atlanta.  I'm a big fan of Kanye West's music as well as his keen sense of sense.  He tops my list of celebrity men whose fashion style I truly admire.  Kanye has never been afraid of taking certain fashion risks.  That's why it was at no surprise to me when I saw him come out on stage in a leather kilt.  He wore fitted leather pants underneath and some Air Yeezy 2's on his feet.

Love it!

I love when a man is comfortable enough in his own skin to wear certain articles of clothing that are otherwise considered to be girly, feminine, or even 'gay'.   The 'kilt' goes way back in history.  Kilts were originally worn by the clans of Scotland and their plaid colors signified their loyalty to a certain clan or tribe.  They were worn by the most masculine men of their time as battle wear or for ceremonial affairs.

Kanye West is definitely not the first man brave enough to throw on a kilt.  

Kid Cudi  sported a kilt on New Year's Eve in Miami last year (and caught a lot of slack for it).

Diddy wore a kilt last year during a performance in Glasgow.

Lenny Kravitz, another man who takes all sorts of fashion risks, wore a kilt during a show in Scotland.  Very fitting.

And even gansta Crip rap artist, Snoop Dog wore (of course) a blue kilt back in 2007 to the MTV Europe Music Awards in Germany.  He wore blue Chuck Taylor's with his.

The kilt is like an expression of fashion freedom for men of our time.  Any man that can confidently pull this trend off without worrying about other people's opinion gets an 'A' in my book.  Confidence is sexy. Go out and get you some.

UPDATED: Janet Jackson Covers Harper's Bazaar Arabia

It's been a while since we've heard or seen anything from Ms. Jackson.  She recently did a hot spread for Harper's Bazaar Arabia and she looks GORGEOUS!

She looks flawless on the cover

Check out some more pics from the inside spread:

LOVE the Green!

She looks adorable!

Beautiful!

Updated - Here's behind the scenes video footage from the shoot:

NFL Supports Breast Cancer Awareness 2011

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and every year the NFL shows its support by using the color pink to accessorize the uniforms as well as other football equipment.    In case you've been living under a rock and wondering why players have been sporting pink during the games lately, this is why.  Since I don't watch a whole lot of football I always make it a point to search online for candid photos during Breast Cancer Awareness month to see the players accessorizing in pink.  Here are a few of my favorite photos I found online: 

San Diego Chargers Antonio Garay sporting a hair cut with a pink breast cancer awareness ribbon.

Cutie Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers warming up in a pink wrist band, cleats, and head cap before an October 9th game against the New Orleans Saints.

Here is another shot of Cam Newton, at the October 9th game against the Saints, wearing a pink towel over his head.

San Diego Chargers Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson celebrating a 55 yard touchdown reception in pink ribbon gloves during a game against the Miami Dolphins.

Members of the Green Bay Packers added splashes of pink to their cleats in a recent game.

Jaguars Wide Receiver Cecil Shorts wearing a pink mouth piece along with pink arm bands, towel and gloves.

Browns Cornerback James Dockery signs an autograph in pink gloves before a game against the Titans.

Way to go NFL! 

Kanye West Reveals Womens Wear Line at Paris Fashion Week

Kanye West introduced his first clothing line, DW by Kanye West, at Paris Fashion Week.  DW by Kanye West is a womens wear collection dedicated to his mother, the late Donda West.  The Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show took place at the Lycee Henri IV in Paris, France on October 1, 2011.  Kanye West has been spotted in the front row of many runway shows over the years, and he was apparently taking notes and gaining inspiration for his upcoming clothing line.

The audience consisted of several big names in fashion such as Alexander Wang, Sylvia Fendi, Anna Wintour, Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Ciara just to name a few.  Kanye mainly used black, cream, and white palettes with  plunging necklines, tasteful cut-outs, high leg slits, fur collars, and a few asymmetrical hems.

Here are several of the looks from the DW by Kanye West collection. *photo credit

Here are some of my favorite looks from the collection:

I think out of all the looks, this cut-out dress (or it may be a top and a skirt) is one of my favorites.  Definitely something I would wear in a heartbeat.

Kanye used Jourdan Dunn as one of his runway models

Chanel Iman (right) also model some of the runway looks

Two other looks that Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn modeled down the runway

He added a little color to some of the pieces.

All of the shoes worn by the models in the show were specially designed by Giuseppi Zanotti

Mr. West kept his attire simple sporting a white tee and jeans.

I personally loved most of the looks from the collection.  The price point hasn't been revealed yet, but hopefully it will be affordable because I definitely saw a few pieces that I would rock.  Ladies, what do you think of DW by Kanye West? Is it something you would wear?