“Remembering our roots, the strength of them, and the beauty of what we look like in our own brands”
2020 was major year... a lot happened, and a lot didn’t happen. It was a huge year for the culture when I think about it. I remember the end of “Horton Hears a Who” when the son who didn’t talk climbed to the highest of highs to make the loudest of loud sound all so, as a collective, the animals could hear every who saying, “we are here, we are here, we are here!” And not that as a people we have never been here, but it was time for those who didn’t know, didn’t care, and weren’t sure to know for sure WE ARE HERE! I’ve never been more proud, so there was no debate about what I wanted the theme of my maternity photo shoot to be. I knew the photos would live beyond my moment in time I was enjoying and so I wanted it to embody and capture what we as a people were experiencing at the moment because it affected my pregnancy in so many ways.
Oh so we’re at show #2 for the lingerie line Savage Fenty and if you haven’t see either by now you’re missing out on a true treat. When you watch scratch that you need to watch! So let me rephrase that.... when you watch it’s more of an experience. There’s so many elements of surprise and delight and it shows the true artistry of Rihanna as a creative. “Fans” continue to ask for music, but if any of them ( now I’m not asking for the navy to come for be buuuut) has seen the show they will truly see that she has found her knack. She’s completely involved from design, to fitting, to model casting, to production, to actually modeling in the show herself. You can see it’s a labor of love and it translates. I’m positive this is one of the reasons the new line has been sold out since the show dropped alongside the fact she dropped a Men’s line... oh you didn’t know? It’s restocked and sold out twice. If you haven’t watched show 1 I’d advise you do that first as it tells the story from being to end of the journey of creating a line, the production of it, and the making of the actual show. ; show 2 lets it play out with some interaction from surprise guess and all the intensity of why the lingerie portrays and means to those wearing it. They are a must see... if you ask nicely I just might give you my amazon info to login and indulge
HFR x Janie and Jack
Harlem Fashion Row is in the business of making dreams come to life for black designers thanks to founder Brandice and I’ve been following their work for quite some time. The moment I heard a line was dropping with Janie and Jack I had to be present for The Recital! I have to admit I’ve been a fan of Janie and Jack for years now because just like her mother my little (The Duchess as I call her) is a mini influencer/ fashionista. However, I never heavily indulged in the brand because I felt it was a bit over priced for a look we weren’t necessarily going for; something was missing. So we’ve purchased accessories and a few pieces here and there to complete looks already in The Duchess’ closet. When HFR dropped the designers that would be part of this collab I knew it was a MUST that I not miss or show up late to The Recital.
Rich Fresh. I had been following his for a little over a year now and I am in looooove with his clean tailored menswear that has a signature that isn’t over done, but everyone would always know what you were wearing. I’ve seen his creations grace red carpets, awards shows, and photoshoots. His looks have been seen on gospel artist Kirk Franklin, TV personality Terrence J, Producer/ Writer Lena Waithe, and utilized by celebrity stylist J.Bolin. Moreover I’ve seen Rich share bits and pieces of his very humble beginnings and pay homage to his mother constantly on his social media and I’m always here for a brand that has meaning, passion, and purpose behind it!
When fashion and music collide it makes for an interesting moment. The Grammys was a moment that everyone got to come outside for literally. We waited in anticipation to see the stars shine and ended up slightly disappointed. There were a few standout fashion moments that caught my eye. The good, the bad, and the well you know the rest
Billie Eilish always makes a statement with her clothing and personality. What we love most is that she always remains true to her aesthetic. Both her performance look and what she wore to accept her Grammy were looks. As she performed “All I Ever Wanted” the look brought the performance to life. Her head was adorned in a black jeweled full head piece that fell down the tresses of her hair and stopped just about ear length. She wore a green over sized diamond encrusted jacket and matching baggy pants; seemed to be embossed fabric. Her acceptance fit was very a matchy matchy, Gucci pink and black floral oversized shirt, pant , bucket hat, and mask look. Even her nails matched the clothing.... while we’re not here for the brand, the look was on point.
We were in love with Lizzo’s hi-low ruffle hem Balmain dress that peek-a-booed her right thigh and let way to a simple yet stunning and dazzling single strap heel. She accessorized minimally with no more than 3 diamond bracelets on either wrist, numerous rings (but only on 3 fingers), and 3 large iced out hair clips placed at the front of her long wavy do. We love the clips because over the years hair accessories that we’ve used for decades to aid in styling or at bedtime have become an everyday accessory and in the right way.