She Didn't Wear a Black Designer....

I read an article today about the Black Artists Association's anger over the fact that Michelle Obama did not wear a Black designer to any of the Inaugural events.  Are you KIDDING me?! This is perhaps the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my entire life!  Though this issue goes beyond fashion, I feel it appropriate to comment here on Fashion Personified. 

 Co-founder of the Black Artists Association, Amnau Eele commented that Michelle Obama should have chosen a Black designer to design one of her inauguration outfits.  It seems to me and everyone else who has commented on this most silly of gripes, that Amnau Eele needs to get a life, a hobby or something.  I don't like to bad mouth anyone but this is just beyond. Making her choice of designers a race issue? Not only is it petty, it is embarrassing.   Think of all of the challenges she and her family went through and overcame to become the first Black family in the White House and you are going to throw a hissy fit over the designers she chose? PLEASE!

Mrs. Obama is a clearly an extremely fashionable, chic, classic woman.  So much so that she will let her impeccable taste decide what she wears, not her skin color.  In fact, I think that Mrs. Obama did one better and chose talented designers from different ethnic backgrounds, not just American but Cuban-American and Taiwanese-American.  She is showing that in all things, including fashion, one can exemplify the culture diversity that is America.  {See, fashion can be deep : )} I applaud Mrs. Obama on her fashion choices.  She looked absolutely stunning.  As a Black woman I did not find any issue with her choosing a non-Black designer and I am sure many other Black women share my feelings.  I think Amnau Eele just wants 15 minutes, but hopefully Mrs. Obama won't give her 15 seconds...HA!   

Gowns of Inaugurations Past

So I am back from D.C and I had an AMAZING time.  Both the We are One concert and the inauguration ceremony were unlike anything I could have ever imagined.  The feeling in the atmosphere was that of simple joy, kindness, optimism, and love for country and countrymen/countrywomen.  The people I met were some of the nicest.  I was a frozen block of ice at both events and was outside at 5 a.m ..that's right I said 5 a.m on Inauguration day and I would do it all over again, ten times more...it was just that amazing. I witnessed HISTORY for crying out loud!  I am truly blessed to have been apart of it and I wish I could just keep reliving the moment.  I am sure I am making some jealous so on to fashion...

Now I am not going to bore you with what Michelle and the girls wore.  I am sure you have seen enough of that but I will say that they looked absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  So I continue....

I did get a dose of fashion prior to seeing Mrs. Obama and the Obama girls at the Smithsonian Museum of American History with the First Ladies at the Smithsonian exhibit.  It was AMAZING!  On display were the Inaugural gowns from past first ladies as well as their accessories, dishes and such.  They also had pictures of the past first ladies and whose portrait was among them?  None other than the beautiful Michelle Obama!  You do not know how proud and overwhelmed with so many emotions I was when I saw her picture.  She will definitely go down in history as one of the most stylish first ladies.  I could ramble on forever about Mrs. Obama so enjoy some of the photos I took of the exhibit.

A little bit of history...

Laura Bush's gown

Mamie Eisenhower's gown

Rosalynn Carter's gown

Saved the best for last....

So I'll Be Inaugurating...

Tomorrow I leave for D.C and I am super excited!  I am truly blessed to be able to witness this historic moment in our country.  I've never been more proud to be an American...no...a Black American! I will be braving the cold for hours to be part of the moment and I don't care.  I will try my best, but I don't know how fabulous I will be because of the cold temps, but we shall see... 

The other day my friend sent me an email of some fabulous Obama t-shirts and bags created by some of our favorite designers:  Zac Posen, Diane Von Furstenberg,  Tory Burch, and Alexander Wang just to name a few.  To see and purchase these fabulous items, go to the Official 2009 Inauguration Store.  The items are under the tab named Runway to Change.  

So I will be gone for a little while, but hopefully I will come back with tons of pics and stories to share.  And hopefully I will not spend too much so I can snag the DVF Obama bag.

I Heart...B. Scott!

Photo:  BlackWeb20.com

Have I been hiding under a rock?!  I just discovered B. Scott through the fabulous  young lady behind StylisticallySpeaking.  What can I say about B. Scott?... ultra fabulous, ultra amazing, ultra personality!  B. Scott brings the world all that is new in fashion, music, and celebrity news.  He even has his own merchandise!  What I love most about B. Scott is that he has an extremely positive and upbeat attitude, unlike others out there who, while bringing us celebrity news, they tear the celebrities down in the process.  Check out B. Scott, though I am sure you already have, at www.lovebscott.com.

Snow Boots

I was looking for the perfect snow boots and these are definitely them.  I spotted them a while ago.  They are DKNY and they were $150.00 at the time.  Not willing to pay that much money at that moment, I put them off hoping they would go on sale.  I ended up putting them off so long  (after CHRISTMAS!) that I feared they would be out of stock.  So I braved the after Christmas crowd and went on the hunt. My mother had to talk me into going out because I was not in the mood for any mall. 

These boots were meant for me because when I got into the store, one of the boots was on one table and the other on another half way across the store.  And guess what?  They were my size! I was surprised because I have a small foot and the small sizes always are the first to go!  And may I also mention they were the only pair?  I asked the shoe saleswoman for a half size up just to compare and they were out.  I just snatched up the floor sample and ran to the register where I was met with another pleasant surprise...

Like I said they were originally $150.00.  When I went to buy them they were on sale for $90.00, but when they were rung up at the register, they were $75.00!  Half off!  Again, these boots were so meant for me.  They are not tacky which I come across (Remember my post ranting about rain boots? Same holds true for snow boots, i.e pink fur or pom poms), they were the last pair and they were half off.  

So these are my winter shoe gear as well as my "Obama inauguration brave the cold standing outside for hours foot gear".  I will wear them well and on inauguration day, I will wear them proudly.

On the Beauty Blvd., become an Anti Hair Slave

It's time for me to once again share not one, but two great blogs with you:  Beauty Blvd. and Anti Hair Slave.  Both are written by the lovely Joi, a Nursing student from New Jersey.  You'll find out more about Joi, when you visit her fabulous blogs, right? ; )  Anyhow, here goes:

Beauty Blvd: 

If you are a beauty product junkie like I am, then visit Beauty Blvd.  I am always on the lookout for new beauty products and Joi is like a personal beauty consultant bringing the beauty product junkie great products and reviews.  Most impressive is that she features products that does not break the bank, which is really important during these economic times.

Anti Hair Slave:

This was my favorite. I am SO obsessed with my hair.  My friends give me crap all of the time because I never really change my hair style.  What they don't realize is that I am so concerned with the health of my hair that I do not want to color or style it in any way that will compromise it.  That is why I am so happy to have found Anti Hair Slave.  Joi focuses on the health of the hair, which is super important.  She also focuses primarily on relaxed hair which I really appreciate.  I find a lot out there for those that have natural hair, but rarely come across a website that focuses on the health of relaxed hair.  Maintaining relaxed hair is often times difficult, so thank you Joi for the tips and products that will keep relaxed hair girls looking fabulous.  

So hurry up and go to Beauty Blvd. and Anti Hair Slave (and of course continue to visit Fashion Personified) so that you will be well on your way to complete Fabulousness!

Messy Moccasins

If I ever want to be guaranteed a compliment, I don't wear my most amazing pumps, my favorite dress, or get a new hairstyle.  All I have to do is wear these very beat up, but extremely comfortable moccasins.  When I first saw them I fell in love with them, but I almost left the store without them.  

I got them in Paris and after I tried them on, I of course went to pay.  I handed the salesperson my card  and I heard those dreaded words..."Your card is declined"...DECLINED!!!!  "It's a debit card that can't be possible!",  I thought.  So I kept my cool and thought well maybe it is just a glitch in the machine, that happens sometimes.  After about five tries, nothing.  So as I stood there extremely embarrassed and hearing the salespeople say God knows what about me in French, my lovely friend spots me the money until I can find out what went wrong.  I go to the ATM to see if I can get money out and lo and behold I can.  After contacting the bank, I find out that they froze my account because of a large purchase that I made right before I went to the shoe store.  Since I did not let the bank know that I was traveling overseas, they thought that my card was stolen.  I felt very relieved after that.  I knew I couldn't have possibly been that careless with spending that I did not realize I spent everything in my bank account.  So the moral of the story is to tell your bank when you are traveling, and always bring a great friend who is willing to spot you money so that you will not miss out on great shoes!...just kidding about the last part...well maybe I'm a little serious.

I will probably keep these shoes forever even though they are falling apart.  Just look at the second picture.  They have so much personality.

Measures of a Fashionista

What makes a fashionista?  Is it the clothes?  Is it the attitude?  A combination of both?  I was inspired to write this post after looking at pictures on the website I featured on Wednesday's post, I Like My Style.net.  I noticed different types of pictures.  There were those of people that had on very colorful/loud/different/stylish outfits.  There were those that had very simple/classic styles.  Then there were those that did not focus on clothing at all, rather, an accessory or head shot.  Though all of the people in the pictures took different point of views, most had one thing in common:  they were all fashionistas/fashionistos in their own right.  These individuals and myself do not necessarily share the same style, but I still think they look great.  In my opinion, this is what makes a true fashionista.  When you can look at someone and say, "I couldn't or maybe wouldn't wear that but they look FABULOUS"!

With that said, I actually think being a fashionista has more to do with the clothes and less to do with the attitude.  I know this is not the most politically correct view, but I'm entitled to my opinion.  Because after all, we have all seen someone who walks around with their head held high, be it in a conceited manner or not, and they quite frankly look a mess.  Now that's not to discount attitude all together.  There is a lot to be said about confidence and swagger but, an eye for fashion and creativity are my measures of a fashionista.  

What do you think?