Life & Style

Filed under: Lifestyle, Style Spotter

Once again, New York City was bright and vibrant today with terrific mid 70's weather, baby blue skies and a bright sun, which all assisted in creating a happy pace for me and my fellow city dwellers. As I skipped around Bryant Park, I wanted to know what folks were wearing on such a sun filled day. So today's You've Been Spotted blog, which is the first of many, shall begin in the beginning... with the shoes of course. After all, the shoe is the period at the bottom of an exclamation mark! There would be no point to a chic outfit without a fashionable pair. Check out a few folks in the park who were sporting trendy spring footwear.

Black, discontinued Christian Dior classics

Style Spotter Find (SPF) : Black, hi-top Prada sneakers - $380.00

Preppy, Jack Purcell Converse sneakers, which totally completes the prep look.

SPA: Lacoste sneaker $75.00

Shoe on the left "unknown," however on the right we have a black and white zebra print, with patent leather quilted toe, by Steve Madden.

SPF: Nine West Gladiator shoe $79.00

SPF: Brown and white zebra print flats by Tommy Hilfiger - $75.00

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Lifestyle, Style Spotter

By Kiante 'The Sneaker Mann' Young, Special to BlackVoices.com

As young boys, men envision what adulthood will be like but once maturity is achieved many of us find it hard to allow our wardrobe to mature as well.

Sporting Adidas Superstars or Nike Air Force 1's may have been the key to dressing to impress but as you start your own family and your son's eye for fashion develops, changing of your style may be just what the doctor ordered.

A friend of mine has been dealing with this very situation stating, "I don't want to wear the same gear as my eighteen year old son but at the same time, I don't want to dress like an old man. How can I dress grown and sexy?"

The first step is owning pants that aren't super baggy. This is important because it adds neatness to your look. Second, you want to lean away from bulky t-shirts and sweaters. Again, this increases the neat and paints a picture for everyone to see that you are a grown man. Why not blend a printed woven dress shirt or a French-cuffed dress shirt with a blazer? A polo shirt will also do.

Now backing up a little bit -- everyone knows that an outfit begins and ends with your footwear thus you want to make sure that your sneakers compliment your new sophisticated garb. For starters, you'll need a shoe that isn't hulking and/or overly brilliant with flamboyant colors but kicks that have a clean, neutral-colored look.

In efforts to remain consistent, you want to avoid bulky high tops while focusing in on slimmer cut low top sneakers. This is why it is important to lose your super baggy pants because wearing trimmer cut sneakers with overly loose jeans could destroy the fresh neatness of your outfit as your jeans will drag behind your feet becoming worn and dirty.

Following these tips will not only update your look but may even attract someone special to you. Wink wink. Check out some of the sneakers below and let me know which one you think helps you get your grown and sexy on.

Prada Striped Sneakers
www.prada.com
$340

Adidas Stan Smith 1 De Lux
79.99
www.footlocker.com

Hugo Boss Green Otago Golf Sneakers
www.macys.com
$125.00

Steve Madden Rhythmm
$79.99
www.stevemadden

Lacoste Swerve Mesh
www.lacoste.com
$115

For More on Kiante, check www.kiante.com

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Lifestyle, Style and Beauty, Style Spotter

Kerry Rhodes of the New York Giants
Unforgivable Woman Black: "Summer breeze. I'd like for a woman to wear it in the summertime to the lounge. When's she's coolin out, chillin'."
Unforgivable Black: "It's cool. I'd wear it to a dressed up, classy event."
Dream ad campaign: "Anything for Calvin Klein. Clothes, underwear..."
Favorite recent purchase: "Louis Vuitton knapsack."

Fred Robbins of the New York Giants
Unforgivable Woman Black: "Light and clean. It's ok."
Unforgivable Black: "I would buy it. I'd wear it to a casual event like this (NFL Draft Pick) weekend.
Dream ad campaign: "Ceasar Clothing, a hot new line out of New Jersey."
Favorite recent purchase: "SL 63 Mercedes Benz"

Calvin Pace of the New York Jets
Unforgivable Woman Black: "Too mainstream, doesn't feel exclusive."
Unforgivable Black: "Like it. Feels similar to the woman's. I would wear it to practice. It's a nice, clean fragrance. I wouldn't wear it to the club."
Dream ad campaign: "2xist underwear, I love their stuff. Or PRPS Jeans."

Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints
Unforgivable Woman Black: "Smells like hair shampoo!"
Unforgivable Black "Smells nice."
Dream ad campaign: "Sean John."

James Ihedigbo of the New York Jets
Unforgivable Woman Black: "A lil' too sweet but has a nice coconut scent so I like it."
Unforgivable Black: "Too strong. It would be better if the scent lasted longer."
Dream ad campaign: "Sean John definitely. Tell Diddy to call me for real!"

Former ANTM contestant Whitney Cunningham
Unforgivable Woman Black: "It has a nasty smell to it. With a floral tint. "
Unforgivable Black: "It's too soft for a man to me. I thought it was a woman's scent! I would wear the men's before I would wear the woman's version."
Dream ad campaign: "Marc Jacobs."

THE VERDICT: The majority ruled in favor of Diddy's new splash. It totally lacks bitchassness if you get what we mean.

You can take a whiff and purchase it yourself at www.seanjohnfragrances.com or at Macy's, Dillards, Nordstrom and Bloomingdales. The 2.5 oz size retails for $65. The Mother's Day Gift Set just dropped, $75 for a set that includes a larger size spray and body lotion.

Blonde wig (a' la Janice Combs) not included.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Lifestyle, Style and Beauty, Style Spotter

British Harpers Bazaar May 2008 cover featuring Liya Kebde

It was announced this week that supermodel Liya Kebede was tapped to play Somalian model Waris Dirie in Desert Flower, a film based on Dirie's successful autobiography about her tragic experience with female circumcision. Kebede is slated to begin filming in Europe in June.

Kebede has also added a fifth job to her growing list of many roles: childrenswear designer. The model/activist/ambassador/actress launched a beautiful line of children's clothing that is handmade in her native Ethiopia this season called Lemlem. The Estee Lauder model (the only woman of color in its 59 year history to be one) employed local weavers to do the embroidery and handweaving to improve economic conditions there. Kebede held a launch party recently for the fall line (its second season) which was attended by the likes of model/tv host Veronica Webb and Showtime's Weeds star Mary Louise Parker among others.

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Kebede with her daughter Raee wearing Lemlem

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Lifestyle, Style Spotter

With every former model and high-end stylist rapidly conversing into their handy miniature tape recorders, books regarding fashion have become just as plentiful as H&M stores in Amsterdam.

After handy assistant types style sage book, book gets published and the fashion wunderkind goes on a press spree and that is exactly where we find Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys, dishing about his new book Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You.

Doonan has written a book on one of my favorite subjects: developing a signature chic by wearing your personality, adding an unconventional fabulousity (if I may so borrow that word) to your look and making it your very own.

"Being eccentric is essential for any woman with a sense of style," Doonan states. "With fake tans, fake hair, fake nails, fake boobs and fake lips, it makes it seem as if American women are all identical."

Here are a few of Doonan's favorite eccentric glamour gals.

IMAN

LUCY

TILDA

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hair Apparent, Lifestyle

Wassup, hair lovers!

As we shake things up over here at Hair Apparent, we intend to bring you the most innovative, relevant and fun hair blog on the web with industry interviews, stylish hair girls on the streets, celebrity trends, salon reviews and more!

This week I catch up with celebrity hairstylist Dana Gibbs of Danasloft.com.

Her fingers have not only created some of the most rocking celebrity hairstyles, but she double dips as a product innovator and salon owner.

With celebrities like Rihanna and Lauryn Hill under your flatiron, a thriving hair studio and a growing niche beauty line, tell us what a day in your life is like?

Well, I am an early bird, so I get up about 5:30a most days and read my daily prayer to get my day started. Then I make my coffee (a must have) and answer emails. Right now I am working on the press kits for the products, so most mornings I am going over everything that my publicist and graphic artist has sent me for my approval. I'm putting together local newspaper ads and also re-doing my website for the new salon and the launch of the hair products. I get to the salon about 10a.m. and do hair until about 8pm. Unfortunately with this schedule, I've put off the freelancing for a while, in order to focus on getting the salon and products off the ground.

What inspired the creation of your beauty collection and what are the yummy products available?

Being a hairstylist, it just made sense to make my own line of hair care products, which will be officially launched next month. This line is called Make Time for Me and consists of: Restore Me moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, Refresh Me tea tree shampoo and conditioner, Tex Me pomade, Save Me hair spray, Smooth Me leave in conditioner and Gloss Me laminate. These products are amazing (if I do say so myself) and are prefect for all hair types, from super curly to straight hair. At this time they are available for sale at my salon, but will soon be available on my website and hopefully in stores by this summer.

Let's chat celebrities.......How were you able to break into their world and literally get them in your hands?

It took several years to break into this freelancing business. I had to first build a strong portfolio which meant me doing a lot of test shoots (photo shoots you do free of charge for pictures) just to get enough images to take to an agent to rep me. I also had a few very good friends in the business that put me down on jobs to help me get started. I would do anything to be on a job, if someone wanted me to assist; I was there, just to be able to learn all that I could; and trust me no money was being made at those times. Once I had a good portfolio and an agent, it became a little easier, but you always have to hustle just to keep things fresh. Most of the time you get chosen by your work, then it is up to you and your personality to get called back.

Who among the "Red Carpet Famous" always gets it right in terms of their hair? What makes it "right" from your point of view? Who gets it "wrong"?

I love what Rihanna is doing. Her style right now reminds me of my own personal style. She has set whole new trends across the board and I love that! I also love Tracy Ellis Ross' look because she has kept her hair natural and showed us how to make it super stylish. There are some who seem to always be wrong (I won't name names) because they just seem to try too hard. I feel like there are a few out there who look the same and are afraid to buck the system in fear of not being accepted anymore, so a lot of folks are looking very similar. That's why I love Kelis, she always has her own style, but she doesn't always get the credit for starting new trends. She stays ahead of the curve, and that is truly fabulous!

In terms of styling, what are your specialties?

Right now I am doing weaves and extensions all day long. Most of my clients are growing their relaxers out and going natural, so we are doing weaves to get them through the transition. I love the fact that 1/3 of my clients are going natural; their hair looks thick and healthy and they can wear their hair natural or press it straight. I am also known for my hair coloring and love, love, love doing it. I specialize in doing great colors that are healthy and not destroying to the integrity of the hair.

What is the one hair trend that you think pretty much any female can wear? And are there any trends that you are totally not feeling?

I would say that there is a Bob out there for everyone. Be it layered, one length, straight bangs, swooped bang, or asymmetrical, just about everyone can wear this style. And since this is a classic look, it will always be timeless. As far as the no no's, please stay away from orange hair and I'm not talking a pretty copper, I'm talking clown orange! That is the worst! If you want a great color, let a hair color professional do the job for you. Don't go messing in your best friend's kitchen.

Breakdown for us your look right now.

I just colored my hair honey blond with platinum highlights, for the summer, with a few tracks up front for a funky asymmetrical look. Although I have been know to change my hair every other week, LOL, I always seem to go back to this look. They say it's the one that fits me best.

Check out www.danasloft.com to get a deeper peek.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hair Apparent, Lifestyle, Style and Beauty

Until 10 days ago, I had never worn a full head weave -- much less, silky straight hair -- four colors, full bangs, shoulder length weave. Now, before I go into the screeching BMW's, the Asian dudes with Jungle Fever and the brothers with a silky hair Jones, let me share with you my HAIRSTORY.

I've been natural before it was the "it" thing to be. Through the mid-90's til today, I've done all that can be done with natural hair -- twists, locs, afros, braids, cornrows, you name it -- I've had it. Prior to the return to my state of "happy when nappy," I had what some call a body perm also known as a Jheri Curl with a brief eighteenth month stint as a perm head.

Personally, the best thing about being a black woman (okay second to the booty) are the range of options we have with our hair. In less than a decade I've gone from a platinum baldie, to a Mohawk, to a 24-inch long Rasta fro to a full head silky weave. I absolutely love funky, avant-garde hair!

Being natural was liberating, spiritual, bold, frustrating, fun and many times funky. Two weeks before I was due to get the "mainstream 'do" a few of my clients, colleagues and home girls -- were lovin' my fro....I clearly remember days when responses weren't so positive.

Going back to my weave.

OMG! The reactions are insane.

The "naturals" feel like I've crossed over (trust me I can tell) the "weaves" feel like they have new competition or either they are super happy I've joined their community and rocker, hipster chicks are loving it! (Makes sense, the look is based off their style.) As for the men folk...the attention has amplified beyond belief; some of it I can relish, some of it I can do without...but the response is nuts!

At the end of the day, hair is power...especially BLACK HAIR.

I look forward to a wonderful hair journey with all of you.

Below are a few pictures of me and my various hairstyles over the past few years -- the one up top is my latest look with the full head weave.

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hair Apparent, Lifestyle, Style and Beauty

AMBERmag.com Wants to Know IS YOUR SALON A STAR?

You have styling skills. You know this. Your salon is fly.

This you know - and your clients know as well. And you are truly about your business.

Here's how to get more shine! Enter our Is Your Salon a Star? contest and show us what you've got.

One Grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses paid Simply Sunday Beauty Day that includes:- A V.I.P pamper-me day held at your salon for your clients with free manicures or massages; cocktails and hor dourves; CDs, makeup and beauty giveaways; Mizani products and more!

- A Hair Show produced by AMBERmag.com at your salon where you show off your skills,highlighting the latest trends

- Publicity highlighting your salon and styles to millions!UP WILL RECEIVE:
MIZANI products worth over $100; hair posters and will be featured on AMBERmag.com and Mizani-usa.com!

Deadline: April 11, 2008

Enter the IS YOUR SALON A STAR? contest today!

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hair Apparent, Lifestyle

Courtesy Ambermag.com

Are you looking for ways to fatten up fine, thin hair?

Build body by using a volumizing mousse or root lifter as you style. Both can be applied on wet or dry hair to add thickness to limp locks.

For wet sets, apply mousse throughout damp hair and watch tresses thicken up as they go from damp to dry. For straight styles, use a root lifter before blow-drying to add volume from the scalp.

Take your look to the next level with these instant hair pick-ups from your favorite salons and drugstores. .-Mia Stokes

Click here to see which volumizers work best to boost your limp strands

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: Hair Apparent, Lifestyle, Style Spotter

Shortly after I had my daughter my hair started to fall out. But only the front right side had become as thin as Nicole Richie, circa 2006. The rest was healthy.

A friend of mine suggested a weave until my hair grew out. I agreed a weave could be a good solution, but up until that very moment, my idea of weaves were for women who had had issues with their hair and I guess I had now become one of them.

So with my naive, narcissistic attitude safely stored in my Louis Vuitton Speedy bag, I proceeded to a high profile salon in Brooklyn and there began