The Louis Vuitton Don's New Kicks

Those of you that know me know that I SWEAT white kicks. I own like two pairs of non-white sneakers and one is a pair of basic black Chuck Taylors. So when I peeped these new Kayne West designed Louis Vuitton boating inspired shoes I started crying from the perfection (not really... okay well maybe a little bit).

I was going to pay down my credit card but...


Source: KanyeUniverseCity: TIME TO CRASH YOUR INTERNET SERVER….

Beyonce's Blanqueamiento

Exhibit A: Beyonce at last night's Kayne West Glow in the Dark Tour concert at Madison Sq. Garden in NYC


Exhibit B: Beyonce looking damn near transparent in her new L'Oreal ad


Now since it is obvious that Beyonce has not undergone a radical skin bleaching procedure from last night's photos (courtesy of Bossip.com) can someone explain to me why the hell L'Oreal photoshopped her to make her look whiter?

I have no problem with Beyonce rocking blonde hair in a L'Oreal ad, but I have serious issues when a cosmetics and beauty conglomerate like L'Oreal deems it necessary to digitally alter her skin tone in order to make her look "appealing."

People have been attacking Beyonce but I don't think it was her decision I think that this was something that L'Oreal did. L'Oreal has denied the allegations, saying to the Associated Press: "We highly value our relationship with Ms. Knowles. It is categorically untrue that L'Oreal Paris altered Ms. Knowles' features or skin tone in the campaign for Feria hair color." They can deny the allegations all they want, and who knows maybe it was some freak accident that occurred at Elle Magazine's printer, but the message and its impact is the same: whiteness is still the benchmark for what is considered beautiful. Someone who views the ad, regardless of whose fault the photoshopping was, will be reminded that women of color will always be expected to conform to hegemonic white conceptions and standards of beauty.

People need to stop blaming Beyonce and focus on the fashion and cosmetics industries who perpetuate heterosexist and racist constructs of beauty.

Up in the Sky, its Super Barack!

Comic book legend Alex Ross (creator of the classic Kingdom Come) has created this t-shirt which depicts Obama as a superhero.

Cop it here: Stylin online

The Sartorialist's Gap Ad

I'm a big fan of Scott Schuman's blog The Sartorialist. I think he's one of the best fashion photographers in the industry because he actually goes out on the street and spots the hottest new trends before they even become trends. I love this simple ad he did for the Classic Gap Oxford. Kudos to the Gap and to Schuman for this simple and effective ad.

via/ The Sartorialist

Obama and Vogue

“America ... is ready for a black president, so why are we not ready for a black model?”
-Italian Vogue editor Franca Sozzani

The July issue of Italian Vogue, dubbed the “Black Issue,” flew off the shelves and is now in reprints. This is the first magazine in Condé Nast’s history to be reprinted to satisfy demand; it’s also the first issue of Vogue to go into reprint. According to Young, Black, and Fabulous Vogue gave word to US distributors to “keep this All Black Issue on the stands until AFTER the November elections.” Apparently, Vogue feels that this will throw foreign support behind the Obama campaign here in America.

While Obama would definitely be our most fashionable President, I'm having a bit of a hard time seeing what one has to do with the other. I think Vogue, like a plethora of other media outlets (CNN’s “Black in America” anyone?), is capitalizing on the current fetishization and commodification of all things Black. While I think the July issue of Italian Vogue is a landmark moment in fashion history, I wonder what the long-term impact of the issue will be on the fashion industry. For instance, many advertisers still used white models for the ads in the July issue because they felt that Black models wouldn’t sell, even in an all Black issue. I hope that rather than mere pandering, industries like fashion, television, film and music will actually make some changes and actively challenge systems of white hegemony in the media.

Here's a YouTube clip with images from the July Vogue...

I like my pants down low

In Flint, Michigan wearing pants hanging off your butt can land you in jail. The charge is being led by Flint Police Chief David Dicks who says wearing pants that sag below your waist is unsanitary and constitutes indecent exposure. The new ordinance also gives police probable cause to search "saggers" for weapons or drugs. Similar measures have also passed in In other places, mainly suburban areas. The measures impose monetary fines and even jail time in some cases. Check out the full article at Free Press.

It's crazy that the punishment for wearing a fashion born out of hip hop's fascination with prison culture is now actually punishable by jail time. I don't know why everyone seems to be obsessed with how low many Black and Latino@ youth are wearing there pants. I suspect it's because the fashion is catching on with white youth in suburban areas.

Baggy pants were even featured in the New York Times. CLICK HERE to listen to Times fashion photographer Bill Cunnigham talking about how the pants are dropping with the stock market (he's bugging).