#NYFW Kick-Off: Michael Kors Expands Brand, Adding Color and Scents!

Photo Credit: Business of Fashion

Runway Notes! Like Tory Burch, Fashion Designer, Michael Kors will expand his brand to develop "lifestyle" products (specifically, color cosmetics and fragrances): "Beauty is always such an important part of my runway. When we put on a fashion show — after this many years — I’ve learned the layers and the steps. When I first start thinking mood of the season, beauty is part of it from the start," says Michael Kors.

Kors spoke with The Associated Press about the expansion: 

Q: How is the process different for you in developing beauty products versus clothing and accessories? 

A: With accessories and clothes, first I have to fall in love with whatever it is, but then I get practical. Is the bag too heavy? Can you wear a bra with the dress? With beauty, it’s more of a quick mood check. … It’s more gut. Immediately, if I smell something and it’s evocative, I go with it. What takes so long is the packaging. 

Q: What about beauty products? 

A: When you buy something beauty, whether it’s a lipstick, nail polish or a new fragrance, it’s not a long shopping period. You either buy it or not. A perfume should take you away quickly — there’s no trying on pants with a shoe, rolling the jean just right, pretending you have heels on when you try on a skirt. 

Q: If women can get a pick-me-up from a new lipstick, how can you get that same quick fashion fix? 

A: Considering I wear the same thing almost every day, there’s not much I can do. For many men, the quick fix is the tie, and I don’t wear a tie, so I change my aviators (sunglasses). I’ll change the scale and color, whether it’s vintage leather, gunmetal or gold, that’s my mood quick-changer. 

Q: There are three types of muses for your three new perfumes, Sexy, Sporty and Glam. Who are they? 

A: There’s the “sexy,” who is all about confidence. She’s not naked, she could be in jeans or a gown, but she’s sexy. There’s “sporty,” the woman who could be headed to the red carpet or the gym, but she’s the type who just goes. And there’s “glam,” who likes to be the center of attention. 

Q: Did you have any of your famous friends in mind when you were making them? 

Runway Flashback via Fab TV 

A: I have a cast of characters that float by me, sometimes a friend, someone I work with, sometimes celebrity clients — all people who have those moods. For sporty, it’s Blake Lively — can’t you see her surfing and putting on a gown? Or Gwyneth (Paltrow) with her hair yanked back in a pony? Sexy is Angelina Jolie or Rihanna. They exude confidence. And then there’s the glamorous Jennifer Lopez. She’s never a wallflower. She goes big or goes home.

Q: Do you relate more to any one of the personas? 

A: I’m sporty by nature in that I’m relaxed. I don’t like to be stiff, but I’m the most uncoordinated sporty person. Roger Federer and I won’t be playing sporty tennis anytime soon. [Source: The Kansas City Star]

Hey Barbz! Superstar Nicki Minaj Covers Marie Claire In August

Photo Credit: concreteloop.com

Nicki Minaj Covers Marie Claire, August 2013

In March, I commented that I was diggin' Nicki Minaj's cover shoot with ELLE magazine (April 2013); her "toned-down" look was much-anticipated — and since then her style has been slowly evolving into something a little less theatrical and outlandish ... many onlookers are giving the head-nod of approval. Indeed change is a wonderful thing. That being said, I do appreciate the fact that Nicki is not losing her overall swag in the midst of the change. Ms. 'Trini To De Bone' is still sassy, still classy (in a bad girl sort of way?), and will not hesitate to speak on issues that matter, such as her experience with bullying as a child to personal opinions about Mariah. Yeah, I had to mention the "feud." Bap! Bap!

Below is a snip-it of Nicki's interview with Marie Claire:

What's one thing that pisses you off instantly? "People who don't own up to their mistakes. They'll make every excuse in the book, as opposed to just saying, ‘Damn, yeah, I f*cked up.'"

Do you work out? If so what’s a normal routine, Nic?!!! "I don't work out. I hate it. I don't mean to sound super-lazy. I tried it for a time. I lost my boobs. When I feel I need to lose weight, I just change what I eat. I cut carbs and sugar. I'll do water and protein and fruit. But I do think that you should work out. My doctor tells me that, and I get it. Do cardio, Barbz."

August issue on newsstands July 16.

Source: Satoshi Saikusa; Marie Claire

Lauren London Covers Vibe VIXEN

Photo Credit: Vibe VIXEN

Mag Notes! Check out actress Lauren London on the cover of Vibe VIXEN, June 2013. I'm a super sucker for eye-catchy magazine cover shoots, as well as DIVERSITY! Seriously, I loathe looking at the same 'ole faces on the cover of glossies (i.e. Beyoncé, Rihanna), and am thrilled to see Lauren come out-of-the-woodwork to grace the cover of Vibe VIXEN. In the interview excerpt below, Lauren reveals her beauty regimen, chats about sneeks -- and I am excited to learn that Miss. London < 3's Rachel Zoe (one of my faves!)

Interview Excerpt: London on Style 'n Beauty

Photo Credit: P. Series Stylist

VIBE Vixen: Tell me about your beauty regimen? What are some of your must-haves? Lauren London: I have to have MAC spiked [eyebrow pencil] and bronzer. 

I know you’re hiding some beauty secrets, too. [Laughs] As  long as your eyebrows are clean and you have a clean face, you’re good to go.  

Any style trends you’re anxious about or that you want to die this summer? I’m really over everyone wearing Jordan’s, even though I wear Jordans [Laughs]. But I’ve been wearing Jordans since ’92. I really want everyone to put it away. 

You don’t believe the girls rocking J’s are real Jordan heads? No. I just feel like there are certain girls that never have worn them before. 

Now, the photo shoot was very 70s inspired. How does that style era influence you today? It influences everything. I love anything inspired by the 70s, from the music to the clothes. Capricorn has this joke that I dress like Stevie Nicks. 

What celebrity or influences out there are killing the style trends across the board? I love anything Cameron Diaz. Gwen Stefani, Victoria Beckham. I like Halle’s style. Charlize, she’s effortless. But I dress more like Drew Barrymore. I want Rachel Zoe’s closet. 

Who doesn’t? Who are your top 3 favorite designers? Alexander McQueen, Givenchy and McCartney. 

If you could design a shoe collection or fashion line, with whom would you want to collab? Rachel Zoe. [Source]

Photo Credit: Vibe VIXEN

Designer Spotlight: Jennifer Fisher

Photo Credit: The Aestate

Jewelry Designer Spotlight! This morning while sipping coffee and browsing my Twitter feed, I was wholeheartedly excited to see the following headline: Jennifer Fisher: The Reigning Cool Girl of the Jewelry World. I have been keeping a close eye on Jennifer Fisher from the very beginning, as I was (am!) totally inspired by the designer's authenticity. In other words, I can so spot a piece of Jennifer Fisher jewelry. 

Excerpt via The Cut:

Who is the Jennifer Fisher Girl? Someone who does not

want to be like everyone else. I make sure to have enough variation in the line to give everyone access to express their own personal identity. 

How would you describe your aesthetic – your personal style as well as for your collection? Utilitarian with a laid-back sensibility. I dress from day to night daily which brings a casual edge to everything I wear. You will never find me in a skirt. Ever. As for design, all of my pieces are meant to be layered and worn daily, year round. The pieces are utilitarian too. 

What inspires you? I am constantly inspired by photography and architecture. Clean lines and geometric shapes are constants in my collections. 

What inspired the fall collection? I wanted to darken the line a bit and give it a moody aesthetic. Not in a Goth way, but in a simple, abstract way. Currently, I am loving Stanley Kubrick’s pictures he took for Look magazine in the 1940s. 

You sold privately for a long time. What encouraged you to make the move to sell more commercially? When Mark Lee and Danielle Vitale (Barneys CEO and COO, respectively) show up in your showroom, you do not say ‘No.’ I had actually been creating larger statement pieces in brass for editors and editorial stories when Barneys came to me. It was the perfect partnership at the perfect time. 

After the success with Barneys, do you see expansion with other retailers in your future? Timing is everything and Barneys continues to be my one large US retailer. I never intended to sell commercially and I still do not. We keep the line to limited distribution for a reason. Who wants to have the same jewelry as everyone else? Selling directly to the consumer is our main business here for fine jewelry and the new revamped website will be launching in September, hopefully changing the way women shop for fine jewelry on the web. 

You are known for piling on your jewelry and making it look effortless. How would you encourage others to adopt a personal style when it comes to jewelry? The key is to be yourself. None of my employees, friends, or clients wear the jewelry the same way. That’s the point. As for me, I never wear earrings so I make up for it on my hands and wrists. That is why my line is so heavy in bracelets and rings.

Read more via The Cut.


Video - "Things I Love With Jennifer Fisher"

Photo Credit: JF Facebook

WOW! A "Toned-Down" Nicki Minaj Covers ELLE Magazine In April

Photo Credit: elle.com

Nicki Minaj Covers Elle, April 2013 

I was speaking with my sister-in-law a few months ago about Nicki Minaj. I told my sis that I couldn't wait to see Nicki reveal another side in terms of personal style—and now look at Nic—all toned-down and stuff. Could this be the end of pink wigs and theatrical clothing? Eh, it doesn't matter, as long as she doesn't get rid of the multiple accents!

The following is an excerpt via next month's cover story which I found particularly interesting; the topic of bullying is a brutal issue that's killing our society and we must address it continually. We must SPEAK UP if we witness horrible acts of bullying.

(Interview Excerpt) On experiencing bullying in school as a child: "I went through a lot of bullying early on. Girls made my life a living hell. We had come to America from a different country. My brother and I had accents. It was very tough. So I've always put up this wall— it was a self-defense mechanism growing up— because I was almost expecting people to attack me. And I still have it. It's sad." [Source]

April issue on newsstands March 18.


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Photo Shoot: Beyoncé For GQ

Mag Notes! Well. The rumors are true: Baddie Bey covers GQ  [February 2013].

Interview Excerpt:

On Her Collaborators: "I've been working with Pharrell and Timbaland and Justin Timberlake and Dream. We all started in the '90s, when R&B was the most important genre, and we all kind of want that back: the feeling that music gave us."

On Songwriting: "I used to start with lyrics and then I'd find tracks—often it was something I had in my head, and it just so happened to go with the melody. Now I write with other writers. It starts with the title or the concept of what I'm trying to say, and then I'll go into the booth and sing my idea. Then we work together to layer on."

On The Album's Influences: "Mostly R&B. I always have my Prince and rock/soul influences. There's a bit of D'Angelo, some '60s doo-wop. And Aretha and Diana Ross." 

On Her Inspirations: "Even the silliest little thing that you hear on the radio, it comes from something deeper. 'Bootylicious' was funny, but it came from people saying that I had gained weight and me being like, 'I'm a southern woman, and this is how southern women are.' My motivation is always to express something or to heal from something or to laugh and rejoice about something." [Source]

So, what do you think about Bey's GQ cover? Tell me on Twitter: @nikkistyle

Photo Credit: GQ 

Nicki's Must-Haves!

Photo Credit: thatgrapejuice.net

Beauty Notes | Elle gave its readers the lowdown on superstar Nicki Minaj's beauty secrets, as well as her favorite products. And because I am such a huge Nicki fan (*ahem* Trinidad, please stand up!) — I had to put the spotlight on this fun-filled girlie interview. 


See it now! The World Premiere of 'Stupid Hoe'

Interview Excerpt:

What’s the most high-maintenance part of your beauty routine? 

My eyes, because they’re the one thing I need my makeup artist to do. I don’t have the patience, my hands shake, and I mess everything up. So my makeup artist has to do my brows and lids and lashes. Everyone knows I’m a lash girl by now. When I don’t have my lashes, I feel naked. 

Are they extensions or strips? 

Today I’m wearing strips. I used to wear the individual lashes, but those became so time-consuming. We needed to figure out an easier way, so my makeup artist has been experimenting with cutting lash strips in half and piling them on top of each other. 

What’s the best tip a makeup artist has taught you? 

I contour by using a lighter shade of foundation under my eyes instead of concealer. I take it down in a triangle by the sides of my nose, and then apply blush on top. I don’t do round, rosy cheeks; that’s for old people. It’s played out. I like the color to be like a diagonal line across the cheekbone up to the temples. It really changes the shape of my face. 

What’s always in your makeup bag? 

I can’t see myself without pink lipstick. I can go without it for a couple days, but if there was no more pink lipstick in the world, I’d be useless. Seriously. And a good white pencil for under the eye, just inside the rim. It helps you look like you’re on. [Source]

Nicki's Superstar Must-Haves!
Get the Deets Here

Reece Witherspoon Covers Vogue May 2011 - On Newsstands April 19

Photo Credit: Vogue

Interview Excerpt:

On married life with Jim Toth: “He’s wonderful. He’s just a really great guy, and I feel really lucky. It’s so cute: Over the holidays I was at a department store in L.A. with my friends, and these three women from Oklahoma came up to me, and they said - Reese, We are so happy for yeeew. We liiike this guy for yeeew.’ And I said, ‘You do?!’ ‘Yes, ma’am. We think he is a niiice man. We think he is going to treat you well and be good to yeeew.’ I was like, ‘Really?’ So sweet! And I told them my mother likes him very much, too.”

On her current place in life: “I mean . . . it sort of indicates that at other times I was not in a good place. Which is true. I have had my share of heartbreak. But I think your friends really know when you are at your happiest. Even though I am nervous and excited and all those things people feel when they are about to get married, I think I am mostly very calm right now. Usually, I’m a little bit of a squirrel. I have a squirrelly energy.”

Reese's co-star Robert Pattinson on the actress: “In terms of public perception, she’s thought of as America’s Sweetheart. And she kind of is in a lot of ways. But I think that she’s a lot bawdier than that, a lot more raucous. It did actually shock me to see that. She’s tough. You wouldn’t want to get into an argument with her at all. You can always tell that she will be incredibly nice to anyone who’s not an idiot, but it’s always very clear that there’s a line you really shouldn’t cross.”

Gwen Stefani Covers ELLE [U.S.] May 2011 - On Newsstands April 12

Photo Credit: Elle 

Interview Excerpt:

On her appearance: “I mean, I’m very vain. That would be my middle name. Of course I am, you know what I mean? I love the visual.”

On whether Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry have taken a page out of her playbook when it comes to style: “Really? I don’t see myself in those girls. I usually put pants on. I see these girls as more going for the sex-symbol thing. I was more, in the band, like a tomboy. Of course, I think every girl is sexy, so there’s going to be a little of that. But I see a lot of younger artists going more toward the sexy thing.”

On pop music: "When we were growing up, some of the hits were legendary ones that you hear your whole life. But certain songs, I don’t know if you’ll ever hear them again. Because that’s what that music is, like a guilty pleasure, it’s right at the moment. It’s like fashion—it’s now, then it’s gone."

Eva Longoria Covers ALLURE April 2011 - PHOTO & BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Allure

Interview Excerpt:

Longoria once told a magazine that she loved vibrators so much that she gave them as gifts to her girlfriends. "That was, like, seven years ago—premarriage," she says. "It's hard for me to censor myself, because I like to be honest and free and say exactly what I'm thinking or feeling. Unfortunately, so many things are taken out of context, and [now] I'm a little more cautious about what I say."  

Longoria hopes that, in the very near future, she'll get to accomplish one thing that she's been wanting to do for a long time: curl up with a good trashy novel. "I'm in a transition stage, settling into a new routine," she says. "And I welcome it."

Allure magazine's April 2011 issue is on newsstands now.

Black Swan's Milena "Mila" Markovna Kunis Covers W MAGAZINE March 2011

Photo Credit: W

Style Notes | Did you see Black Swan? I did. The moral to the story is breathtaking—in an unexplainable artsy way. In addition to Natalie Portman doing a phenomenal  job as the lead, the Ukraine-born beauty, Mila, rocked her role as well. 

Mila chats with W magazine in the March issue, on newsstands later this month.

Interview Excerpt:

Lynn Hirschberg: In Black Swan, you play the wild-child devil girl. You’re both seductive and scary. Had you danced before you took the part?

Mila Kunis: I had never danced in my life. I trained for four months, seven days a week, five hours a day. I had one day off on my birthday. I lost 20 pounds. I tore a ligament. I dislocated my shoulder. I have two scars on my back. And it was worth every minute.

But I will never dance again. I’m a strong believer in mind over matter, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant until this production. I was like, Well—I wear heels; I can do this. I was wrong: Christian Louboutins are uncomfortable, but I screamed the first time I put on a pointe shoe.

Raven-Symoné, 25, Responds To All The 'Weight-Loss' Questions

Photo Credit: 2011 People's Choice Awards

Raven-Symoné is showing 'annoyance' to the 'weight-loss' questions. She tells People: 

"I thought I looked fabulous before and nobody else did, so whatever." She goes on to say ... "actually, now I wear bigger clothes because I don't like the way people stare at me. I liked it before. Now, you're just looking at me for the wrong reasons. Before, you were actually looking at me for a real reason."

Seriously, I don't blame her for feeling this way at all. Chuck up them deuces, girl!

Julia Roberts Covers [US] Elle, Sept 2010

Style Notes | America's Sweetheart, Julia Roberts, graces the cover of Elle's biggest fashion issue of the year. Yes sweet peas, the September issue. Seriously, how could you not fall in love with that face? Julia's look is so fresh and youthful at 43-years-old. But if you think she injects with all sorts of Botox—guess again. Because judging from the Elle excerpt below, she is all natural. 

On Botox/ The Plastic Surgery Trend in Hollywood: "It's unfortunate that we live in such a panicked, dysmorphic society where women don't even give themselves a chance to see what they'll look like as older persons. I want to have some idea of what I'll look like before I start cleaning the slates. I want my kids to know when I'm pissed, when I'm happy, and when I'm confounded. Your face tells a story ... and it shouldn't be a story about your drive to the doctor's office." 

Photo Credit: The Fashion Spot; Elle