Naomi Campbell - V Magazine #59 Summer Swimsuit Issue

s: (L)ONTD, (R)Playboy


Naomi is one of six models photographed by Mario Testino to land a cover for V Magazine's first swimsuit issue. The photo has that pop art + pin-up vibe and her skin looks great but overall I think the picture is a little boring. Maybe my eyes are still hurting from Halle's hot pink Bazaar cover. Funny how Naomi is wearing a Playboy bunny costume for V's cover but wore an actual swimsuit when she was photographed by David Lachapelle for Playboy Magazine back in 1999.

The issue will hit newsstand on May 6th.

Michelle Obama Wears Sophie Théallet

S: Jezebel, Style.com, Eluxury

The latest designer to get a boost from Michelle Obama is French born Sophie Théallet . The FLOTUS wore a striped shirtdress designed by Theallet to the unveiling of a bust of Sojourner Truth at Emancipation Hall. The dress is quickly selling out on online retailer Eluxury.

Théallet raised a few eyebrows last fall when she presented her Spring '09 RTW collection on the runway featuring all black female models.

The designer, who has worked with Azzedine Alaïa, remarked that her decision to use black models was not a political one:

"I was thinking about colors, and they look amazing on dark skin, so it came naturally," she said of the well received show.

I wonder if the unique casting (and the designer's love of belts) is what made Théallet's designs blip on Mrs. Obama's radar.

Zoe Saldana Wears Prabal Gurung

Zoe is definitely selling the look. That red really suits her.
s: profashionelle

Arise Magazine - May 2009 - Georgie Baddiel

Georgie Baddiel is one of those models that seems to get a decent amount of runway work but somehow, never manages to land many editorials. Thankfully, the editors at Arise have seen fit to spotlight her on the cover of their May issue. I just love her face.


s: TFS/Arise

Sam Fine in Vogue Magazine

s: Luxx/TFS

There's nothing new or groundbreaking in the advice here but Sam addresses one of my main makeup obsessions, which is finding a "perfect" nude skin tone matching lip gloss. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer a concrete solution, so I'm stuck with mixing and matching light glosses with foundation (which I find can be drying.)

Still, it's nice to pick up a fashion magazine and read a makeup article that's targeted to brown skinned women. Apparently Sam is coming out with an instructional makeup DVD called Fine: The Basics of Beauty which is well and good but it's just as easy these days to find free instructional info for dark skinned women on Youtube.

Do you have any favorite instructional beauty bloggers? Women who post step by step instructions and/or photos as opposed to just hawking products?

Ebony Magazine: Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis

s: charcoalink

This is the cover that Essence Magazine should have done months ago.

Ebony, I have poked fun of you in the past but you knock it out of the ballpark with this one.

All I can say is dayuuuuuuum!

Diandra Forrest and Shaun Ross

S: Nunu111/TFS

Shawn Ross and Diandra Forrest for Osklen. I wrote about Diandra earlier this year. She didn't get any bookings during NY Fashion Week aside from the Arise show, so it's nice to see her still working. Likewise, Shaun Ross appeared on the runway for only one designer this year and spoke to NY Magazine in February about the challenges he has faced as a albino and a model. The ads do reek of tokenism but I can't help but admire how beautiful the two models look together here.

Fail.

House of Dereon - Really?

Beyonce gets so much venom spewed at her on blogs that I feel I have to preface this post by stating for the record that I think she is a beautiful and talented young woman. Any negativity in this post is NOT directed at her but more at the design team that brought up this particular ensemble.

When I saw this HoD ad in Lucky magazine, it definitely caught my eye. First, because of the aforementioned loveliness of the model and luminous quality of her skin. Once I soaked that in and really looked at what Bey is wearing, I could not help but marvel at the creation:

A tie-dyed zip up belted peasant-sleeved shoulder revealing granny bloomer jumpsuit with brass button detail at the pockets.

To be fully appreciated, it must be said aloud.

Bey is in the water for this ad but is it swimwear? A pool-side lounging outfit (imagine the tan-lines)?Party wear? Lingerie? I honestly have no idea but it is definitely an eye-catcher.

What do you think? Has House of Dereon made a mark in the fashion world?

From Lucky Magazine: Kidada Jones' Skincare Routine

For the product junkies.

Arlenis - "Magic Black" - German Vogue

Peek @ German Vogue - May 2009 - Arlenis Sosa Peña

S: TFS via Ebay.de

Not the best image capture but hopefully I'll be able to replace it with the full scan soon.

She may not have landed on the cover of American Vogue's "model" issue but Arlenis looks does one better by landing a solo cover of the German edition.

I think she looks fantastic in Lanvin with bouffant hair. She is also featured inside in a spread called "Magic Black"also photographed by Alexi Lubomirski. Can't wait to see the rest of it!

ETA:


S: Fashiongirl28/TFS

Vogue All Model Cover - Jourdan Dunn and Liya Kebede

source: TFS/Luxx

Shot by Steven Meisel. I'd read that Liya and Jourdan would be on the cover of this issue so I guessed that one of them would be on the cover while the other would be on the fold-out. That makes three issues in a row that Vogue has featured a black face on the cover of the magazine, which I never thought would have happened even a year ago. I'm beginning to wonder if there is a "Weekend at Bernie's" situation going on between at Condé Nast and ALT is really calling the shots these days. I don't like how pasted together all the heads look on this cover but Liya and Jourdan look beautiful.

Inside there is an article called "Sam's Club" on makeup artist Sam Fine with an accompanying editorial featuring Liya Kebede, Chanel Iman and Arlenis got snapped for the "Meet the Boyfriends" spread, while "Kicking It" and "The Godfather" spreads features Naomi Campbell among others.

I'm looking forward to getting this one in the mail. Your thoughts?

ETA: More photos

Christina Milian in Louis Vuitton s/s 2009

s: Mahalofashion, justjared, style.com

I just can't get past her hair. It reminds me a bit of Tina Turner in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome.

Giant Magazine - May 2009 - Naomi Campbell

Harper's Bazaar- May 2009 - Halle Berry (Updated w/ Alternate Cover)

Once my eyes adjusted to the over abundance of magenta screaming at me from this cover, I was able to recognize that it was a photo of Halle Berry sporting a new hairstyle. She's lovely as always but man does that layout give me a headache. Fortunately, the cover style was abandoned for the inside pics which accompany the interview. I hope that Halle ends up on another cover after she shaves her head for the film version of "Nappily Ever After." To me, none of her looks will ever compare to old school Halle with super short hair. I can still remember ripping pics of her out of magazines when I was younger and taking them to my hairdresser.


source: GaHoNa/TFS

In other Halle emulating news, I'd been salivating over a certain Coach shoulder bag that she was seen sporting all over town last month. I tried to resist it but the big bag lover in my had to have it and recession be damned, I scored the black leather Coach Editorial Zoe bag on Ebay. I am beside myself with happiness.

ETA: The subscriber cover is on the right. I like it much better than the newsstand version. Halle's hair doesn't look so...rusty.


s:Party Vixen/TFS

Off the Runway: Uban and Iman Talk About Somalia and Race in Fashion

On Other Blogs...

So more even more designers are complaining that Michelle isn't wearing enough of their clothes and fattening their bottom lines in the process. Cry me a river already, maybe if Oscar de la Renta designed something for a First Lady that wasn't influenced by my grandma's couch fabric, he'd stand a chance. These people need to read the fine print on Obama's stimulus package so they'll understand that it's not just about fashion.

And yes, I would cut off my own pinky toe to own this Azzedine Alaia (?) dress. It is seriously the most beautiful thing she's ever worn.

Dmitcha @ The Daily Kos blogged about the backlash recently:

The coolest thing about being African-American and bilingual Italian is that when you go to a model casting in Milan and are pointed to the sign that reads "no ragazze di colore" (no colored girls), you can: a) understand it; and b) get sent right back to the casting as a Brazilian and instructed by your agent not to speak English to anyone.

Today, in an article titled "Dressing Michelle: Major Designers Wait for First Lady's Call," Women's Wear Daily (WWD) posted the outrage of American designers like Oscar de la Renta, who stated, "I don’t object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J. Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it’s wrong to go in one direction only."

Um. EXACTLY. So where is that sentiment decade after decade as U.S. designers send all-white models down their runways? I don't know whether to shake with laughter or with disbelief!

Read more here

i-D Magazine May 2009 : Chanel Iman

Photographed by Kayt Jones