If you haven't noticed, Usher brought his sexy back when he kicked off his One Night Stand -Ladies Only tour several weeks ago looking extra dapper... thanks to Canadian twin design team Dsquared2. The design duo, brothers Dean and Dan Caten, were elated at the opportunity to provide custom wardrobe for the sexy R&B star from their Spring 2009 runway collection, which was presented in Milan earlier this year. Is Usher the man for this or what?

Two design illustrations for Usher by DSquared2

The white tuxedo and what they call "barbershop styles" inspired by the seventies compliments Usher's slick dance moves and famous slow jams quite nicely. In one set he gives boudoir bad ass in a custom silk robe and slippers with his back-up dancers wearing Dsquared2 lingerie. "We are extremely excited to collaborate with Usher and his concert tour," said the Catens. "We are both huge fans of his music, and are thrilled that for this special event he has chosen looks from our collections that we think are perfect for a One Night Stand." If you haven't been to his show yet, get ready to get turned on and fantasize about your one night stand with the buffed b-boy with the sexy voice and chiseled six-pack.

Usher with DSquared2 designers Dean & Dan Caten

Women's shoe designer Courtney Crawford was feted recently by Italian handbag company Furla after he was chosen by the company to design shoes and bags for them as part of their Furla Talent Hub. The recognition hurls the usually low-key Crawford into the spotlight despite his penchant for staying under the radar. The Andre Leon Talley protégé' already has quite the celeb and fashion following (Mariah Carey is a fan).

Courtney Crawford for Furla shoe

The Furla Talent Hub is a program that honors emerging designers by providing them with an opportunity to design special pieces for the 80 year-old brand. For fall 2008 line Crawford designed footwear, which was featured recently in Harper's Bazaar, and for next spring handbags. "Furla has always been very careful about supporting young people," said Michele Furlanetto, the company's president. "These are our designers, and we love them so much because we see the passion that they put in it." Crawford described them very simply, "Sexy. Unapologetically sexy".
The 27 year-old St. Louis, Missouri native who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City has designed for Missoni's Spring '07 shoe line, won two awards from fashion trade publication Footwear News and was named one of PAPER magazine's '50 Most Beautiful People'.

Courtney Crawford

It seems mass retailer Target has echoed the famous phrase made popular by supermodel Heidi Klum, 'either you're in or you're out' on her hit show "Project Runway". While the bad news is that designer Isaac Mizrahi is out, the good news is Alexander McQueen is in. That's right; the hi-end British designer is slated to produce a capsule collection for Target's next collaborative initiative called Designer Collaborations. Whoo-hoo!

McQueen will create a version of his secondary line McQ, called the McQ Alexander McQueen for Target. The brand, in his words, is a "younger and more renegade [than the main collection], but always signature McQueen." McQ Alexander McQueen for Target will feature lightweight sweaters, skinny jeans, bubble dresses, slim skirts and cuffed shorts, a coated cotton poplin black trench, a rock 'n' roll gray denim cropped studded jacket, a men's wear-inspired tuxedo blazer and a color-blocked one-shoulder dress with bubble hem, swimwear and print scarves; all in a muted color palette of black, white, gray and tan with hints of bright blue and bright pink. Accents include studs and mesh to give items an edge. Price points were not yet available.

When Mizrahi announced he will no longer produce collections for Target, loyalists moaned and groaned. He was one of the first to create affordable chic pieces for the masses allowing us to grab household products, home décor, electronics and clothing all in one shopping swoop. Since then others followed suit after his undeniable success but for the Go International series: Proenza Schouler (my favorite) Erin Fetherston (divine!), Luella Bartley (another fave), Thakoon (arrives next month!) and Patrick Robinson, to name a few. You can't front on Target, they keep bringing the hits.

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Move over Beyoncé there's a new Sasha Fierce taking over your alter-ego moniker: 7 year-old First Daughter Sasha Obama. In the footsteps of her fashion-forward mother Michelle, the youngest of the Obama clan is so influential style-wise that the dress Baby O wore election night while onstage with her father, President-elect Barack Obama, has been named the "Sasha" dress by maker Gerson & Gerson Inc. due to its huge response after the unexpected product placement.

First Daughter Sasha Obama with family wearing the "Sasha" dress election night

The little black dress ($72) was produced under the Iris & Ivy label and will be available next spring in other fabrics, colors and more stores other than Nordstrom and Dillards, where it's currently available. Gerson & Gerson President Barbara Zeins made this comment on The Wall Street Journal's website: "If you don't deserve a beautiful dress when your Dad was just elected President of the United States , when DO you? We are proud that Sasha is wearing our dress, but even prouder that this beautiful and authentic family represents the greatest Democracy in the world. Yes WE CAN."

And if you're wondering about big sis' Malia's red dress it's by Biscotti, Inc. (www.biscottiinc.com). That number sold out in 24 hours after election night and the company (as is every other designer in the world) is hoping to dress the First Daughters for the inauguration in January.

Malia Obama wearing Biscotti, Inc.
The Obama family's impact on the fashion industry is as unprecedented as Barack's historic win. And this is before they even moved into the White House! If Barack can turn things around the way his family has (and will continue) for fashion companies, then in the words of Stevie Wonder, "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing".

The First Family at the Democratic National Convention August, 2008

Another night at the DNC

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When President-elect Barack Obama spoke of the country's need for change he wasn't referring to just the economy . The GQ, Men's Vogue and Ebony poster king duly noted that when it comes to those wearing baggy pants with their underwear exposed, he just ain't feeling it. In one of his pre-election win interviews with MTV, Obama answered questions submitted by viewers emailed through Facebook.

One asked how he felt about the attempted (and successful) ban on baggy pants. Several cities in Michigan, Florida, Georgia and even a suburb in Chicago (Barack's hometown) have already passed a "Baggy Pants Bill" where an arrest for overexposure of your underwear can have you serve jail time, do community service and/or be fined as much as $500 (see chart.)

Obama's comment: "Here is my attitude: I think people passing a law against people wearing sagging pants is a waste of time. We should be focused on creating jobs, improving our schools, health care, dealing with the war in Iraq , and anybody, any public official, that is worrying about sagging pants probably needs to spend some time focusing on real problems out there. Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants. You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on. There are some issues that we face, that you don't have to pass a law, but that doesn't mean folks can't have some sense and some respect for other people and, you know, some people might not want to see your underwear -- I'm one of them."

Lil Wayne's exposed underwear look could warrent arrest in some states

A word of caution to rappers and fans rocking the style like Bow Wow, Soulja Boy and Lil' Wayne. If you're thinking of attending one of the Inauguration balls in Washington DC next January, take Jay-Z's advice and "button-up dude." Although Obama made it clear that it's not on his list of top priorities in office, if you're looking to impress him, step it up -- rather pull 'em up -- dude.

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Michelle Obama has done it again. The most stylish potential First Lady in history bowled audiences over in a stylish ensemble for her appearance on the Jay Leno show last week. The color-blocked cardigan with graphic print top and metallic-esque skirt was not only colorful and tres chic but by (drumroll please...) attainable, mass brand J.Crew. And the entire look was under $340!

Michelle Obama on Jay Leno

Fashion trade publication WWD reported that Lady O's mere mention of the brand surged traffic to J.Crew's website by a whopping 464 percent compared to the previous day's hits. When asked by Leno what did she think about Governer Palin's wardrobe budget of $150,000 for her campaign rather than comment she mentioned "This is J.Crew!" to show it's really not that serious to be so excessive. J.Crew's response to unexpected shout-out? "We are thrilled that one of the most important women in America not only noticed, but looks fantastic in our clothes," said J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons Mazeau. Recessionaistas take note: you can look fab for less. Mrs. Obama demonstrates it's all about confidence not price points and labels when it comes to her personal style. Clearly she knows what the country's priorities are.

Kim Kardashian as Wonder Woman

It seems Wonder Woman Mania will not cease anytime soon. On Halloween several celebrities wore costumes as the beautiful superhero on both coasts: R&B singer Cassie pranced with her "boss" Diddy at his bas hat Lucky Strike Lanes in New York City ; and at separate events in Hollywood, both Jada Pinkett Smith and reality star Kim Kardashian, certainly the curviest version of the three.

Jada Pinkett Smith with daughter Willow

The red carpet queens are right on time with the fashion industry and Tinseltown's obsession with comic book characters. This past summer New York's Costume Institute Gala had a superhero theme in conjunction with their super hero-inspired fashion exhibit and last month, queen of wrap-dresses designer Diane von Furstenberg launched her Wonder Woman-themed collection which includes the Be The Wonder Woman You Can comic book, a a collaboration with DC Comics and Warner Bros.

Cassie with Diddy working it as Wonder Woman

There's a graphic t-shirt ($45), tote bag ($165) and a few dresses, collector items for sure. After the success of Iron Man and Batman other comic book character flicks in theaters, there have been rumors of Angelina Jolie possibly playing Wonder Woman. I think she would be the perfect pick, not Kardashian who on this season's Dancing With The Stars surprisigly lacked rythmn. How could she spin fabulously much less anything else for the upcoming film? Don't believe the hype, there's no wiggle to that jiggle.

One of DVF's Wonder Woman dresses

For now, you can bring out your inner wonder woman at www.dvf.com.

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The AOL Black Voices Hot Picks List presents our weekly best sellers (or at least the books we feel should be). Check back each Tuesday for our editorially selected "hottest books." Some are new, some are classics, and all are ones we know you'll love. The list is compiled by our staff of experts who have read just about everything out there.

Check out the list, and let us know what you think of our choices.

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I've been dating a lovely man over the Internet for the last 5 months. He lives in Virginia and I live in Boston. He asked me to move in with him, so that we could take our relationship to the next level. I feel I am in love with him, but I'm not sure if I am ready to give up my friends and my job here in Boston. Any advice?

This is a good time to listen to your instincts, which are telling you that this is not the right time to make a move. A relationship needs time to grow and five months is not enough time to truly get to know someone. You two are still in the pre-commitment phase of your relationship, which means that you feel you might be in love, but really you are in the infatuation stage. Your body is releasing chemicals which lead to powerful feelings of attraction, closeness, well being, excitement, and love. These feelings can blind you from consciously learning if this relationship fulfills your requirements. Give yourself at least 18 months to truly get to know each other, and to see if you are actually compatible. Make a list of the requirements, functional needs, and emotional needs for the relationship, and give yourself enough time to make sure that they are being met.

My boyfriend of 2 years feels that we need to move our relationship forward by living together. I was raised in a strict religious household, and there is no way I could tell my parents I was living with a man who isn't my husband. I know I need to live my own life, but when is it right to live with someone and when should you decide to get married?

Many couples believe that co-habitation is a step to understanding if a committed relationship will work. The truth is that the next step in the relationship is marriage. A couple that chooses to live together is still testing the waters and is still in the pre-commitment stage of the relationship. Most couples who live together before marriage, end up divorced, because they bring the pre-commitment values into the marriage. Another issue with living together is that you may fall into what is called a "mini marriage." In this type of marriage you are living together, but you believe that if something isn't working you can just walk away. When you are in a committed relationship, there are no exits, and any problems are either worked through or lived with.

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I just found out that my boyfriend of 3 years has cheated on me again. He has been lying to me for months about where he has been, and I found out from the woman he was cheating with. I'm very embarrassed that I allowed him to do this to me again, but I still love him. He tells me it's my fault that he cheated, and says that I'm a snob and that I'm just not there for him. He is still living in my home, and some days he acts like nothing has happened. When he acts this way, I kinda wish we could go back to being together, but I also feel lost. What should I do?

When you are confronted with a cheating spouse, it is easy to struggle with the idea that you may be the one to blame for their infidelity, especially when they point the finger in your direction. The truth is, cheating is a choice, and a selfish and damaging one at that. Any partner who chooses to break the requirements of a relationship is sending you the clear message that they do not want to be in a committed relationship with you. No matter what their words are, their actions speak clearly for them. The actions of your boyfriend reflect a person who is emotionally immature, controlling, and irresponsible. Is this the kind of person you want holding your heart? In order to begin the healing process, you will need to confront the one person responsible for your happiness: You! It's time to break up, and take the steps to find out who you are once again.

I just turned 30, and I feel like I should be engaged and married. I want to be a young mom. My boyfriend, who had told me in the past that he wants me to be his wife, has now changed his mind. His parents recently got divorced, and he suddenly believes that marriage isn't normal for people. I'm completely stunned and shocked. Where do I go from here?

It sounds like you are holding onto a set plan for the direction your relationship and life should go in. It is good to have big dreams, and to set clear goals for life, but to stick rigidly to a timeline will only leave you stressed and feeling like a failure when those deadlines are not met. A relationship is made up of two people, and as a couple you must work to grow together and maintain your sacred connection. It is time to make up. Reach out and find a couples relationship coach who can help you reconnect, and confront the limiting beliefs both you and your boyfriend have established about marriage.

Rebecca Brody is currently a Life Empowerment coach in New York City. Her area of expertise is in relationship coaching. She is a graduate of Vassar and Ipec, and has trained with the Relationship Coaching Institute. She is ICF certified, and has been studying social interaction, relationships and coupling for over a decade. To work with Coach Brody contact Brody@theluvcoach.com, or go to www.theluvcoach.com

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By Angela Bronner, BlackVoices.com

From the scads pink-themed merchandise on shelves to scores of Race for the Cure contests throughout the country, October is the month that shines a crimson light on a disease that takes at least 40,000 American lives each year.

The Lifetime network, a channel with women-themed programming, premieres 'Living Proof' this month, a touching (read: tear jerking) biopic on breast cancer starring Harry Connick Jr.

The brainchild of Academy Award winning actress Renee Zellweger, who produced the film, 'Living Proof' boasts an all-star cast including Regina King, Amanda Bynes, Angie Harmon, Swoosie Kurtz, Bernadette Peters, Jennifer Coolidge and Connick, who stars in the film as Dr. Dennis Slamon, the UCLA medical researcher who developed the breast cancer drug Herceptin.

Connick puts in a masterful performance, recounting the doctor's multi-year struggle of getting Herceptin through research and development to clinical trial to market. It also depicts the real lives of the many women who lived with and died from breast cancer during this time.

"I spent so much time thinking about what he had to do on a daily basis," said Connick of Dr. Slamon. "So when it came time to film those particular scenes I just put myself in his place. It's profound what this doctor has to do."

"I've had some cancer in my family and I've always dedicated whatever charity work I did to that cause so I was familiar with it," he explained. "I didn't know anything compared to what I knew after doing the movie - especially how important the research element is."

Zellweger, who tapped Connick for the lead during the upcoming film the two worked on, 'Chilled in Miami' (out in January 2009) also called on her old friend Regina King, whom she has known since they filmed 'Jerry Maguire' years before.

"I knew pretty much about breast cancer and the statistics but I must say that a lot of the statistics change every year," said King, who plays Ellie, a young fashion designer diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. "That's why it's important for constant research when it comes to terminal illnesses."

King said that she didn't think Zellweger and writer Vivienne Radkoff necessarily wrote the character for an African- American woman, but that they wanted to portray the many lives of women touched by breast cancer.

"Unfortunately more white women have access to health insurance and medical situations that bring them into the doctors to catch breast cancer in its early stages," said King. "And I really believe that that is the reason why black people die more than any other race or culture when it comes to pretty much all diseases."

King, like Connick, put in an emotionally laden performance and said she called on personal experience to get to that place.

"I would say that [breast cancer] is close to home," said King, who explained that she knew five women diagnosed with breast cancer - three who are survivors, two of whom were not.

"It's something that is that universal," she lamented. "The reality and the seriousness of that didn't make it hard for my heart to think of the women I know who battled with the disease and the children who were left behind by those women who died. All of that was right in my heart. It's just really tapping into that."

'Living Proof' appears on Lifetime on Saturday, October 18 at 9PM ET.

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To peep Man & Wife's Webisodes, get advice from Scoop and Shanda or just for more plain talk on sex and relationships, go to: http://www.manandwife.tv/

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Well, the temperature is falling for all of you cool season fashionistas. Oh, how happy you must be to know that jackets have made a fashionable entrance this year. My three favorite jacket trends for Fall 2008 are the cropped leather jackets, tuxedo jackets for women, and military style coats.

Yes, yes, yes you can still wear your trench coats, they will forever be classics. However, I beg you to store pea coats for another time. They are done. Let women with child or those not-in-the-know continue to wear the pea.

But for us girls of the moment, spot these favorites to keep you warm in the brisk, cool weather.

BIKER CHIC - CROPPED LEATHER JACKETS

Rihanna along with a few of our other starlets have ushered in the rock and roller biker chic look this fall. Buy a cropped leather jacket, wear with jeans, slacks or a pretty dress and you will be in step with the latest trend.

Rihanna

Cesare Fabbri

Tory Burch

Akris Punto

MILITARY

Troops, we fahionistas salute you with our own interpretation of military style.

William Rast (Justin Timberlake's clothing line)

Converse by John Varvatos

3.1 Phillip Lim sweater jacket

TUXEDO JACKET

I can't fit into my man's shoes but I can sure enough wear his suit jacket... and look fabulous while doing so!

Alexander McQueen

Rag & Bone

Natalie Portman adorns a tuxedo jacket with matching shorts

Kate Moss creeps in the night with a tuxedo jacket and high slit skirt

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What were your dreams before you ended up in prison?

I wanted to be successful and have all the finer things in life when I grew up; whether it was L.A. or San Diego. I come from a family where my father wasn't there when I was young, growing up, or even as an adult. My mother raised my sister and I, and I always wanted to see her do better. I wanted her to get out of that apartment complex and get that big house with the swimming pool and the big tree with the big lawn and things like that.

So how long were you in before you got into cooking?

I would probably say a couple of years. I was very rebellious when I first went in. I was very angry and felt I was a victim and blamed everyone but myself. It didn't change until I accepted responsibility. Brothers in the system sat me down and gave me my first book in there. I knew how to read a little bit, but the first book I ever read was in there. It was the first time I ever read the newspaper, the first time I ever watched '60 Minutes,' '20/20' and been around intellectual brothers. They were spitting a lot of knowledge and at the end of the day I realized that I deserved to be in there because I and many other African- American men, we influence generations of people selling that poison.

'Brothers in the system sat me down and gave me my first book in there. I knew how to read a little bit, but the first book I ever read was in there.'

At what point did you realize that cooking was going to be your salvation?

I got fired on my first job in prison and got put in the kitchen. The brothers in there were running the kitchen; they had all the leftover chicken, casserole and meat and I'm thinking that this is the spot to be in. I never dreamed of cooking. A couple of guys in prison, Big Roy and Friendly Womack, pulled me to the side and said youngster come on, we gonna teach you this game. I got good at it very fast because I was very focused and very tenacious. At that time I began to realize that maybe I can be good at this and I started getting praised for my food. And it feels good to be praised for something positive in life. And just like that a chef was born, that's how the whole cooking thing became a manifestation.

Where did the idea for a show come from?

Several years ago, I started my own catering company, Posh Urban Cuisine in Los Angeles and I always hired youngsters who had a passion for cooking out of Job Corp, Pro Start and local high school students and young people out of L.A. Trade Tech. So I always wanted to expose these youngsters to a different side of the food world because I wanted them to grow beyond cooking soul food. In order to make money and rise in the chef world, you need to know how to make international cuisine, Italian, French, Mediterranean. So I took these youngsters into Beverly Hills into these multimillion dollar establishments and estates and took them around L.A.'s upper echelon of black celebrity's and they were blown away. When they went back to the hood, I wanted them to feel like hey maybe I really can make it in this business.

How were the show's participants chosen?

There was a casting call in Los Angeles and they went to Job Corps, youth organizations, and juvenile probation facilities. They did an interview process and they brought in probably over 150 kids and they chose six of them. I never met them until the first day of the filming. They wanted me not to meet them because they didn't want me to be biased by getting to know them ahead of time. A lot of reality shows are scripted, but there's no script here. I wouldn't allow it. I wouldn't allow any elimination or pitting against each other. They all get a great surprise at the end and everyone wins at the end of the day. These kids have young self esteems and the show is about praise. No one hugs these kids and gives them encouragement or tells them that they're smart. So what you don't have a GED or you don't know 12 x 12. It doesn't mean that you can't be successful. My whole thing is to build them up with some tough love.

Were you worried that something would go wrong given the fact that you had such a young, inexperienced group and that you were catering actual events?

One thing about me is that failure has never been an option. I have a lot of tenacity and I've been able to accumulate a lot of success because of my work ethic. When I picked the catering events, I made sure I didn't make them too big where if we crashed, we wouldn't be able to produce. I knew if I were to lose one or two of the young people, I would still be able to pull it off with what I had. This group never really worried me too much. There were a few times they did, but as I pumped them up, and built them up, failure did not become an option for them either. I got really proud of them when we were done. I didn't train them prior to the show, everything that they learned from me was done there, on camera.

At what point did you really sit back and think what your success could be?

Twenty-something years ago, I could have never dreamed of being where I am. I was a hustler and a dealer and that was my life. I didn't live for the future, I was living for the moment. Since I've seen success, I know I'm still not there yet. The television show has been a dream for me, the movie has been a dream, but at the end of the day, it's going to be the impact that I have on young black males in our community. I think it's something that I will be doing the rest of my life. Giving back to them empowers me and brings me solidarity and a sense of peace. That's my success, when I'm able to inspire a youngster off the street and they start to believe in themselves and think that they can be anything other than a thug or dope dealer.

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By Karen Hunter, BlackVoices.com

Mo'Nique has always been one to put it all out there -- from discussing her "open" marriage in a magazine article, to the recent revelation that she was molested by her own brother growing up. Considering that, readers should expect nothing less than truth and real-life stories in her latest venture, a series of novels that kicked off last month with Beacon Hills High.

Beacon Hills is the story of a thirteen-year-old F.A.T. (fabulous and thick) high school girl named Eboni who struggles not only with her weight, but also with fitting in when her family moves from the suburbs of Baltimore to Los Angeles, where everyone appears to be perfect. It is a book targeting the teen demographic because as Mo'Nique points out "they need some real stories that speak to them."

"I travel all over the country and going into the school system and hearing our babies have conversations, there wasn't anything that dealt with them and their issues," said Mo'Nique, who is committed producing three more teen novels with Sherri McGee McCovey, who was a writer on The Parkers.

"My book is entertaining and real. A lot of (books geared toward teens) things were fantasy out there. Eboni, that's me growing up. And all of her friends are real people that I grew up with."

There's Juan, who is gay and makes no apologies for it. Deb comes from a bi-racial family; she is both black and Jewish. Robin is white and has no desires at all to be or "act black."

"We had to hit every ethnic group, because that's the world we live in," said Mo'Nique. "More and more you see young people from different backgrounds interacting and being friends. And this book deals with their issues."

Does the book deal with more gritty issues, like the molestation that Mo'Nique recently revealed in her own life?

"You have to read it to find out," she chuckled. "But talking about my molestation was something I had to do. It happens, unfortunately, to so many little girls and little boys every single day. People keep asking me how could I come out and talk about what my brother did. Well my question is, 'How could I not?' I was basically walking around in prison for years keeping that secret. And I decided that I wasn't going to my grave in prison. It's because we don't talk about those things is why so many of us so damaged."

Mo'Nique plans to use her novels as a platform to get young people and all people thinking about their lives and making a difference.

"Not only is this book for young adults, it's for us too," she said. "We're nothing but kids with grown up faces. My book questions your character and your judgment. Even though Eboni is thirteen, somebody who is forty-three can pick up and learn from it, because I did."

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I've been having these really intense sexual fantasies, and when I share them with my boyfriend, he gets very excited and wants to try them. I want to experiment, but I'm scared that I will see him or he will see me in a very different light, and we might not like who we become. Should I keep my fantasies as just that, fantasies, or try them out in real life?

There is always room for sexual experimentation in a healthy relationship, so when the opportunity arrises to experience new forms of pleasure, you should feel free to explore. The key to healthy sexual exploration lies in establishing trust between both partners, and providing a safe, non judgmental space in which to connect. Begin by first sharing both of your fantasies with each other, this way you meet each other half way. Ask him which one of your fantasies he is comfortable trying out, and let him know which one of his fantasies you would like to try. Before you begin, pick a random safe word that you both agree on. This word will be used in the place of "stop". If at any point either of you want to stop the fantasy, use this safe word. Sexual fantasies and exploration can help you to connect and bring you closer together if they are done in a safe and healthy forum.