Black History Feature: Diana Ross & Sammy Davis Jr.

I love this picture of entertainment icons, Diana Ross and Rat Pack member, Sammy Davis Jr. This picture was taken in 1968 on the set of The Hollywood Palace, a variety televison show that ran from 1964 to 1970. Sammy Davis Jr. hosted the episode where Diana Ross and The Supremes were the musical guests. 

It appears the picture may have been taken during a commercial break. Sammy in his custom made tuxedo looks like he was getting into his zone. I like the expression on Diana Ross' face because you can't tell what she was thinking. Was there tension between her and the other Supremes? Was Sammy being a diva? LOL! Oh to have been a fly buzzing around that set.

Miss Ross looked amazing. The tousled hair, white gown, chandelier earrings. Black Hollywood Glamour!!!!

Press Play: Janet Jackson Dream Street

As everyone knows by now I am seeing my idol, the fabulous Janet Jackson in 34 days. My excitement level is ridiculous so imagine what I will be like on March 8th?


Wednesday posts are Press Play so from now until the concert, I'll be featuring various Janet videos.

Dream Street was Janet's very FIRST music video from the album of the same name. The year was 1984, fashion can best be described as a nightmare, and I was a music obsessed little girl. I sang Dream Street so much, I'm pretty sure my parents wanted to drive me there and leave me on the curb, lol!

Enjoy!!!



Black History Feature: Ann Lowe

In honor of February being Black History Month, I will post some Black History features this month.

Ann Lowe, born in 1898 in Clayton, Alabama. She designed the infamous wedding dress worn by Jacqueline Bouvier when she married John F. Kennedy.


Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress, an Ann Lowe original

Ms. Lowe was ahead of her time and because she was black, she was not embraced by the fashion world for some time. She was a perfectionist who cared about her craft more than monetary gain.

She designed and sewed for several salons and boutiques. Her name was NOT permitted to be sewn on the labels of any of her creations. Despite designing Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding dress, Ms. Lowe's name was not mentioned in the press. In addition to designing for the future first lady, Ms. Lowe designed for the toast of New York society. Do the names Biddles, Auchinclosses, DuPont, and Rockefeller ring any bells? Old. Money. Her designs were in very high demand but no one knew who she really was. During those times no one would admit to wearing clothes designed by a black woman!

You can learn more about Ann Lowe in The Threads of Time. Many people have never even heard of her which I think is wrong for so many reasons. Her legacy needs to be kept alive!

The Stylish Life's Night Out: Funk It Up About Nothin' {Word}

Last Saturday, I joined a couple of fabulous bloggers at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Danyelle from The Cubicle Chick and Miss J from Curvatude were my culture mates for the night. We saw Funk It Up About Nothin', A "Hip-Hopation" of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. My word, is that a mouthful or what???

Well I must say Thank You again to Miss J for suggesting the play for an outing and picking up the tickets. I live in Chicago and had no clue there was a Shakespeare theater (or any theater at all) at Navy Pier. Now let's get to the play. This is definitely not the Shakespeare we studied in school. Most of the dialogue was in the form of rap accompanied by a deejay spinning lots of hip-hop beats, and there was plenty of head bobbing in the audience by those familiar with the genre.

The Q Brothers (pictured above), GQ and JQ are the Creators and Directors of the play. They both play several roles as well. Postell Pringle had dual roles as Don Pedro, lead MC of the rap crew, and flamboyant cop Verges *sings* Diiiiiingle-ber-ay!!!!! You had to be there! MC Lady B aka Beatrice served up much attitude. She was in full on B-Girl mode. Although her costume screamed Yo-Yo circa 1991. Not. Good. They should hire me to restyle her look...

If you're in Chicago, treat yourself to a night out and see Funk It Up About Nothin'. The play runs until February 13, 2011. If you have children, you may want to leave them with a sitter. There was coarse language and more than a few sexual references.

When I got home, the nerd that I am read the entire playbill. I love learning facts about the actors. The Q Brothers are members of the Merz Apothecary dynasty. JQ along with his older brother TQ have a video blog about natural products (link below). How do you go from luxury apothecary to making hip hop versions of Shakespeare plays? I don't know but I like their moxie and can't wait to see their next play.

For more information:
MC Shakes

The Cubicle Chick

Curvatude

Smallflower TV

The Stylish Life: Haute Bag Lady Bag of The Week

This week's Haute Bag Lady pick are these absolutely adorable grosgrain boxy bags by ASOS. These bags make me want to channel Audrey Hepburn. Can't you just see rocking a cute black sheath, large sunglasses, a hot pair of pumps and carrying this little bag? The pink one is on sale for $41.38 and the black one is $51.72. A real steal for either one and a great alternative to a clutch for a night out. Quite vintage-esque, wouldn't you agree?

What do my fashionistas think of this week's pick?

Been Gone So Long...

Hello Cuties & Hotties!

I'm back! I had a little setback last week which made me sit down for a few days. Let me tell you how much can change within a few hours. Last Tuesday I was at work, doing my usual duties, watching the clock, lamenting how badly I wanted the day to end, etc.. I'm eating an apple and then the room appeared to go by 90mph, it felt like the walls were closing in on me, I got extremely nauseous, and had shortness of breath. Another Vertigo attack. I was diagnosed last May with Vertigo and since then I have had two attacks.

My coworkers panicked and someone called 911 which I did not want them to do. As quickly as an attack comes on, it typically ends within a few minutes or hours. There was no convincing them not to call and before I knew it I was being placed on a stretcher and lifted into the back of an ambulance. Great. Here's where it gets fun kids, I spent SEVEN HOURS at the hospital being poked, questioned, and had every doctor putting their finger in my face telling me to follow with just my eyes. I was tired, dizzy, starving, and pretty annoyed. There is not much that can be done for Vertigo. I was given some medicine and held against my will for another few hours. I wanted to go home. The after effects of Vertgo can be debilitating. The days following an attack can leave you with a severe headache and extreme exhaustion. When I got home, I thought I was feeling better, so I decided to do a couple loads of laundry and clean up. Bad. Decision. I know when I've been beat so I went to bed. Of course, I woke up with a massive headache and just getting up to make breakfast was too much work. Here I am a week later feeling much better. Did you miss me? Just smile and say yes, lol! Thanks. I missed you all too. Now back to the business of style...

 

19 Reader-Approved Concealers

These concealers are the secret beauty weapon when it comes to having flawless-looking skin

This is a TotalBeauty.com face makeup article To help you find your new best kept makeup secret "friend," we rounded up the highest rated concealers as reviewed by Total Beauty readers. See the list

No. 19: Cle de Peau Correcteur Visage Concealer, $68

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8

"This concealer is amazing, smooth, creamy and will make you look absolutely flawless."

No. 18: Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer, $18

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.5

Despite having a thick texture, readers say, "it has the power of a concealer, with the 'spreadability' of a moisturizer."

No. 17: Bare Escentuals bareMinerals SPF 20 Multi-Tasking Concealer, $18

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.7

"Works great as a concealer for blemishes, redness and dark under eye circles" and it "won't clog pores or make blemishes worse."

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here!

Thursday's Pics

Vintage 35mm cameras from Pottery Barn



Love the playful pattern mixing in Malia's ensemble.



Eva Colored Glass Table Lamps from Pottery Barn. Thinking about getting 2 for my new place.



Malabar Vase from Crate & Barrel





Fighting a BAD case of winter blues. Wish I was there...

                           

 


Shoe-gasm

Sam Edelman Lorissa Pump (part shoe, part weapon in the right little hands!) I want these. Now if I can catch them on sale somewhere... Let the hunt begin ;-)

Press Play: Trust Me by Guru & N'Dea Davenport

As much as I love fashion and style, music is another love, so I'll be posting something music related every week in a new series, 'Press Play'

From Guru's (RIP) 1993 Jazzmatazz release, "Trust Me" was a personal favorite. The video didn't offer much but it was a typical early 90s East Coast hip hop effort. The lyrics and vocals were meant to be the substance. My how things how have changed... But I digress. Enjoy! 

Unracked w/ Gilt: Beauty Industry Secrets

Unracked with Gilt Groupe sits down for a one-on-one interview with John Demsey, President of the Estée Lauder empire.

For more information:
Gilt Groupe

Put A Ring On It!

Did I really title this post with the chorus from the stupidest and most annoying song of 2008? Yes, I did. Please forgive me. Anyway, I love big cocktail rings and I usually wear one everyday. Although I have very small hands, I like a bold ring that screams "LOOK AT ME!!!!!"

Whenever I'm shopping, I take time to peruse the rings and end up buying a few. I once spent $60+ at Filene's Basement when I saw a table full of accessories marked down 70%. I think I bought nine rings that day. A stylish lady can never have too many cocktail rings, they add a little something to your look and can be quite the conversation starter.

Here's a few fun rings I found (I really like the animal styles):

My Look

Rings by Topshop
Diamond Rings at Max & Chloe

Happy Birthday Michelle Obama!!!!!

Today is a day of celebration and service. Our brilliant style icon, the First Lady of The United States, Michelle Obama turned 47 years old today. Woo-hoo!! Let's hear it for the CAPRICORNS!!!!

Mrs. Obama will join President Obama for a National Day of Service project in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King. I wonder if the President plans to whisk his First Lady away for a birthday dinner date this evening?


Always fab...Even at a basketball game!! Loves it!!



Happy MLK Day: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.



Saturday, January 15, 2011 would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 82nd birthday

An excerpt from one of my favorite Dr. King speeches, The Drum Major Instinct:

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that’s all I want to say.”-Martin Luther King Jr.


From the White House Blog:

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King

MLKDay