I am a Fashion Student!!!

Who ever thought that the little tacky girl waiting to catch the bus would be a step closer to pursuing her dreams? Being a Fashion Marketing student at The Art Institute of Charlotte is something that I never would have thought. Not because I couldn’t go to college, I just didn’t think that I would be attending an art school instead of a university. Fashion has always been apart of my life. From helping my mother sew a wedding dress whenI was little to most beautiful creation and my new found love: SHOES!!!

Why not attend a school that can help me get to where I need to go?

Just like a young fresh high school graduate i thought that school would be a breeze and easy with little problems. Most definitely this place can have its rewards and downfalls. I was in for a rude awakening. This school is a very special place and only for the gifted. If I was not able to learn anything else I learned enough lessons to last me a life time. I have dealt with people from all walks of life, it has been very interesting. I have had teachers that could not keep up with their own brains let alone school work, and couldn't remember anything to save their lives. On the flip side I have had teachers, or shall I say just one, that opened my eyes and made me want to think even more outside the box. Ai is not a place for slackers and procrastinators, that I was. There are times when I can really say that I wanted to say “F this” and leave school. I couldn't. I want to do so much with me, quitting was not an option. The teachers here have experience and background in some of the courses that I am taking. That is one thing I can say I absolutley love about this place. I hate this school, I love this school. The Art Institute, Ms. M, Mr. Watson, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Thomas, Mrs. Brockman, and Mrs. Begum are some of the best teachers, individuals, and adviser's that I have had the pleasure of knowing.

Halle Berry to present own fragrance Spring 2009

Famed actress Halle Berry is set to introduce her new fragrance to the world in Spring of 2009. Berry teamed up with the world’s largest fragrance company Coty, Inc. to launch her new fragrance. “For years I’ve created my own personal scent by mixing fragrances at home. I am passionate about this project as I’ve always wanted hands-on experience in creating a fragrance that is a true representation of me,” Halle has said. “Selecting a fragrance is a very personal choice and I am delighted to have this opportunity to express myself in a creative new way working with Coty.” Her fragrance will start selling in mid-tier department stores such as JC Penny before crossing into the mass market. Steve Morris, Coty’s senior vice president for global marketing stated that Halle has become an icon in American culture, because she has matured in the entertainment business. She is among the top 10 most recognizable Hollywood faces, and ranked number one for thought of endorsing which means that her fragrance will sell across the board because so many want to have a piece of her.

All Natural Cosmetics-India first online Beauty Products store

“Violica.com is online beauty supply store carries beauty supply products. Buy beauty products, cosmetics, skin care and makeup online in India.”

Violica is a new online beauty product store based out of India, Hyderabad to be exact. Founded by Andhra Paradesh this online store is catered to women who find it easier and like to shop online. This online store will have eye care products, face care products, hair care products, and skin care products. The website will also offer makeup, manicure & pedicure products, and spa and body products. Eye care includes SPF products, and mineral makeup products with natural elements. Face care includes an anti aging skin care guide that does not take 30 minutes a day using “gooey gunk slathered all over the face”, exfoliates, black head treatment, and toners. Hair care includes hair lose treatments, bleaching, straighteners, crème and glaze. Violica is already engaged in retail distribution of beauty products, and will only expand more with the start of the new website.

Top 5 MUST HAVES

In every womans wardrobe there MUST be five garments that are needed. These garments can be morphed from a work day to a night out on the town.

WorkBusiness woman of the year has just arrived. A cute floral ruffeled shirt is wonderful with any pant but is beautiful with a pencil skirt. Flirty but structured is the idea for this. The colors red, coral and black dominate the floral patterns in the shirt. Paired with a black pencil skirt this is the perfect outfit for a day at the office. Red platform pumps, simple red hoop earrings, and a red bowling bag set of the outfit.

Evening

Sensual and Sassy. Not nasty and trashy. Evening wear, by some, is always thought of as the "club hoochie." We want to steer some away from that thought. You can still be sexy and be clothed at the same time. Pairing the same shirt from business wear with a pair or wdie leg jeans is a great start. Finishing up the outfit with a pair of black peep toe pumps and a pair of black dangle earrings gives the sexy and confident feel.

Weekend

Weeknds are for fun. Why not look like it? Enjoy the weekend with a colorful graphic tee and some wide leg pants. Picking a color out of the shirt or deciding to use all the colors in the shirt for matching your accessories is a plus. For those that really like doing their own thing and stepping outside the box, add a cute denim or grey vest to the mix. Who says you can't be comfortable and fashionable?

For these looks visit the following website/stores:

Wet Seal

Forever 21

Aldo

Bakers Shoes

Fashion Week Anyone?

Charlotte? Fashion Week? Excuse me? Yes, loves, Charlotte, North Carolina is having its very own first annual fashion week. Produced by Networkz 2000 LLC, a special event marketing company. This 3 day event that is sure to open doors for the "Queen City" and put them on the map. The fashion week will showcase designers from Charlotte, New york and Atlanta. These designers will include Flow by Tara Davis, Dammi, Luis Machicao Couture, and T Simon Designs just to name a few. Eric Robinson will be the entertainer for the event. This is the place to get your foot in the door with all the opportunities offered. Workshops, vendors, and exceptional networking opportunities are at your fingertips, all you have to do is show up! Held at the Blake Hotel in uptown Charlotte, this is sure to be the event of the year.

Ice Beauty

In the cosmetic industry make-up can begin to become predictable. For the past couple of seasons we have been enjoying the bright colors. However there is a bit of a change that we all can take note of. Instead of being bright and bold, designers have opted for deeper, richer tones.

Eye Shadow
Slate colors such as gray, pewter, and greens with accents of pinks and corals have dominated the runway. So have burgundies, sables, bronzes, and purples. Designers are getting away from the bright colors of the spring. Indigo smoky eyes are becoming more popular among the celebrities and on the runway. For eye liner stick with brown or grey, black is just a tad bit vampirish.

Blush
Liven up your cheeks with just a hint of color. Roses and corals are the dominant colors for blush in fall 2008. Orgasm by Nars and Raizin by MAC are some of the featured shades.

Lips
Old Hollywood is back! Dark Lips are becoming more beautiful by the minute. Picking up heavily in the mainstream burgundy lips are the new sexy red lip. If you are not quite comfortable with dark lips then the more natural look is just as beautiful.

Saggin vs. America: Stereotypes

The Confederate Flag, racism. Middle-Eastern man with a turban, terrorist. These are all sterotypes that have shaped our nation into thinking negatively towards other ethnicities that have made the U.S. such a unigue country.

Just recently another formed image or opinion has been made about “sagging pants.”

Sagging pants as we know was popularized in the early 1990’s, which can be attributed to the hip hop culture and its artist. This saggin style is worn by blacks as well as a few white males. Ever since then the African Amercian man has been plagued by this stereotype. Thug, criminal, convict, and ignorant are just a few words that are associated with the stereostype of saggin pants.

“I was at work and someone that I work with came up to me and tried to act as if I was ignorant and had no college education because my gym shorts were saggin,” stated Renondo Wilson, a student at The Art Institute of Charlotte. Since it is mostly African American males that choose to wear saggin pants, some feel that it is racial profiling when some cities put a ban on saggin pants. Some councilmen and other government authority (mostly oldheads) feel that it is offensive to see young men saggin. Because this is primarliy worn by black males some feel like it is targeting black males as if “we” (black people) are not targeted enough. Of course we all know the orgin of saggin pants started in the jail system when they would take the immates belts away so they would hang themselves. It has since then carried over into the hip hop culture. Many rappers we see also sag, but is it really indescent exposure if you can not see the buttocks or the underwear? Is it really necessary to associate jail time and a fine with saggin pants? Studies show that when some of these same African American men go to college there is a lack of saggin, because these men mature and realize that they wanted to be apart of the fad. In essence sagging pants are just a fad, the same as bell bottoms and hot pants. In the words of King David, “This too shall pass.”

Articles relating to Saggin Pants: History, Designers, and Law.

Cr8tive Recreation

"I heart anything that involves or relates to fashion!" Is that not obvious? Whether she is wearing a tank and some jeans or a little frock, trendsetter Vaiya Channelle's shoes are always on point. When asked what she prefers, Vaiya will be the first to tell you she loves her kicks. " I adore shoes, from skateboard sneakers to six inch stilettos, but fly kicks are my favorite." Those fly kicks being Creative Recreations. She recalls the first time she fell in love with tennis shoes, "The first time I purchased a pair of kicks was at Dr. Jay's in Brooklyn, New York. They were Tiger Asics with teal and purple laces. I fell in love with sneakers the day I purcahsed them." Ever since that defining moment Vaiya has collected over a hundred pairs of tennis shoes. "I have always had a passion for tennis shoes. I believe they tell a story about the person who is wearing them." Creative Recreation sneakers speaks volumes about Miss. Vaiya Channelle. Her style is defined as vibrant and colorful, with art and music inspiring her style. These tennis shoes describe just that.

The Royal Court: Graphics in Fashion

In the world of fashion, 2008 was truly the year where designers based their collections around graphics and geometric shapes for the spring and fall seasons.

These graphics and geometric shapes bring about a new look in any collection. On the high-end level of haute couture, designers such as Emilio Pucci, Anna Sui, and Balenciaga stepped out the box and took creativity and color to another level. They are the royal court of “who’s who” in graphics in fashion.

The Prince of Prints

The “prince of prints”. Fur, ice and crystals. Couture designer Emilio Pucci best describes graphics in fashion. His inspiration came from the natural landscapes of the Mediterranean and the exotic culture. He created an external logo with his signature graphics, abstracts and kaleidoscope of color prints.

Each and every one of Pucci’s collections, dating all the way back to the 1950s featured his signature geometric and abstract prints, so his Fall 2008 Collection was no different. The inspiration was drawn from the mountain and the cold. The prints have a recurring mountain theme and the accessories capture what the snowy season is all about. Featured in this wintery wonderland collection were icicle necklaces, silvery sequins, crystal beading and bags that mimicked shards of ice. They collection began with dresses, leggings, and winter coats that ranged from dark grey and yellow to white and black. The collection ended with icy sapphires, corals, various shades of emerald and aqua blues, even Jamaican water would envy. Pucci definitely didn’t let his fans down with this collection.

The Queen of Eccentric

Just from looking at Ms. Sui’s Fall 2008 Collection it is safe to say that she is a multi-cultural and talented person. Born in America, Anna Sui has always had an eye out for fashion. At a young age she began making her own clothes. “I was completely obsessed. I don’t know how my parents put up with me,” Sui stated. Since then she has evolved into one of America’s top designers with her eccentric style and bold colorful patterns.

The Fall 2008 Collection is the most colorful of them all. Every tunic, pants, and shirt has some style of a geometric pattern, almost tribal-like. The aesthetic movement, Tiffany vases, fortuny pleats, Gustav Klimt, and American Indians are the inspiration for this season. It is evident that Anna Sui has many inspirations (the prince of prints, Emilio Pucci being one of them), and she makes good use of her surroundings.

The King of Pansies

This year Balenciaga has outdone himself by using some astonishing graphics in his Spring 2008 Collection. The color scheme consists of a plethora of vibrant colors, such as snorkel blues, tangerine oranges, kelp greens, soft pinks, and bumble-bee yellow—just to name a few.

Nicolas Ghesquiere, the head designer for Balenciaga says he was exploring new territory because he had done prints before, but never thought of using flowers to enhance the collection. Bringing nature to the runway, Balenciaga is in full bloom this spring using pansies, peonies, daffodils, and hyper- gorgeous hydrangeas to his advantage, with this revolutionary technique.

Balenciaga wanted to create ensembles on the catwalk with standout shoulder lines, wide-bell shaped hips, and knee-high, woven, leather gladiator boots. Nicolas Ghesquiere has an eye for architect design and he is a sculptor of shape, with innovative graphics he is promised longevity in fashion industry.

This is only the beginning for graphics in fashion. 

Rucci, Laurent, and Lim...OH MY!

Shoes. What are they really? To some it is another step involved with getting ready for the day. To others it is an accessory or style that has to be paired with the right outfit. Keeping up with the changes and reoccurring styles of shoes is a major part of life. Balenciaga, YSL, Chado Ralph Rucci, and 3.1 Phillip Lim have paved the way for us to do so. This coming fall we are seeing previous styles and embellishments making their way back into fashion.

Of course the stiletto is back and steppin strong. With a hidden platform in the front of the shoe. The chunky and tapered heel is often more desired than the stiletto heel, alone. These new platform stilettos allow for anyone to enjoy the height of a stiletto and the balance of a platform.

Squared-toe shoes are also taking on more so than the once popular pointed-toe. These are not the hideously ugly clunky square clogs that were once worn. The toe is a bit more tapered with a short blunt nose. The pointed-toe is still present, although it might not be emphasized as much as before.

The Mary Jane is back! However this is not the same Mary that we once knew. With more buckles, bright colors, and sharp pointed toes, Mary Jane has a whole new impact. She is no longer cute and comfortable. The Mary Jane is sexy and taking a walk on the dark side.

YAY!!!!

Hi loves, welcome to all. I am Kandyce...welcome to my blog. First day creating and its very interesting!! There will be more to come just stay tuned!!