Technically, a conversation of this sort between the sexes should really end with, “I got a man.” But if that had happened, we would not have this song, Positive K’s “I Got A Man,” or the video, which — and it might be the neon, early 90s fashions — has really brightened my Monday morning.
It’s pretty much a fact that Naomi Campbell is not such a great human being. But here she is with Dolce & Gabbana at the Swarovski Fashion Rocks event in London last night sporting loads of weave and a pretty ridiculous see-through dress and somehow still looking unspeakably fabulous. This is why she gets away with not being such a great human being.
After the jump, check out more pics from the glamorous event, including one of Alicia Keys looking beautiful from the waist up. You’ll see what I mean.
CONTINUED »
How does the wife of the second richest person in television thank the No. 1 richest person in television for allowing her to plug her nasty cookbook on the air? Shoes. Lots and lots of shoes. Jessica Seinfeld, wife of Jerry, thanked Oprah Winfrey for letting her come on the show by sending her 21 pairs of shoes. Most were Christian Louboutin. Couldn’t make this stuff up, guys.
[HP]
Here’s a root of the problem with today’s black youth — local governments think that baggy pants are the root of the problem. Small (and big towns) across the country are setting up laws policing fashion faster than the ACLU can draw up press releases.
•New bans have been adopted in Hawkinsville, Ga., and six Louisiana cities and parishes, including Shreveport and Alexandria.
•Proposed bans are under consideration in Trenton and Pleasantville, N.J.; Charlotte; Dallas; Baltimore; Atlanta and three other Georgia towns including Rome, Brunswick and Plains; Duncan, Okla.; and Yonkers, N.Y.
•Bans have been rejected in Natchitoches, La.; Stratford, Conn.; and Pine Bluff, Ark.
Penalties range from fines or jail time to warnings. Several towns in Louisiana, including Mansfield, near Shreveport, passed measures in June that include fines of $150 or 15 days in jail. The Dallas city council is considering a non-binding resolution against sagging pants.
If these towns want to make baggy pants against the law, what about mullets, cowboy boots, and confederate flag t-shirts? Oh, right. There would be no point. Young black males don’t wear those things.
[USAT]
Blacks are into fashion. It’s not really a secret. Listen to a rap song — depending on the artist, the lyrics might sound like the rapper’s reading the Style.com homepage. Or look at the stats — black women spend more tha $20 billion on apparel each year.
Yet, the industry seriously takes us for granted. Or doesn’t take us seriously. Or wants to pretend like we don’t exist. This was directly reflected in last months runway shows, where black models were rare and sometimes completely missing. And black women should be represented on the runway as they are in the marketplace, it’s that designers and models set the mainstream Western standards of fashion and beauty.
And if there aren’t any black models wearing the clothes in magazines or strutting down the runway, what exactly are they trying to tell us?
CONTINUED »
• Favorite headline of the morning: “Bowling Not Always An Option For Blacks.” What if it’s an option, but it bores you to tears every time you do it? [DFP]
• Your 401(k)? Please don’t forget about it. []
• And now for the obligatory Beyonce. She and her mom are launching a line of House of Dereon prom dresses. Oh no yay!
• John Edwards isn’t giving up on black voters. It’s a good thing, because we’re all going to die or go to jail if he doesn’t get elected. [CNN]
• Kim Fields got married, and Us Weekly didn’t even notice. I wonder why. [People]
• Here’s Lisa from America’s Next Top Model 5 proving that modeling isn’t the only thing she sucks at. [EBG]
• If Al Sharpton’s not your leader and you have been thinking for yourself your whole life, stand up! [WP]
• Biggies, Biggies everywhere! I bet the guy who pulled up in the Escalade gets the part. He’s already got the swagger down. []
• Oh, if only I was the type of person to get up early and wait in line for Roberto Cavalli’s H&M line. []
• Shaunie wants Shaq back? Either she doesn’t stand to get very much money in the divorce or this is bizarro world. []
• Damn. This made me take a long, hard look in the mirror. Actually, it was a long hard look into my web cam, which is mirror-like. A little.
• Women and blacks are somehow less deserving of heart devices than white men.
• Hopefully, $35 million in CDC grant money will increase HIV testing in the black community.
• The appendix finally gets a little appreciation.
• Soon, our clothes might help prevent us from coming into contact with germs.
• Have a fear of needles, Jamie? [MG]
• Oh, the young R&B divas. Always biting each other’s style. []
• R. Kelly is going on tour, his trial be damned. Real talk! [MTV]
• How BET’s controversial “Read A Book” skit came to life. [King]
• VH1 is quickly becoming the blackest network on television, for better or worse. [SOHH]
• Kwame Brown fulfills his destiny as a young black athlete and gets himself arrested. [WSB]
• Two reasons out of many I’m glad I did not see the Fox Reality Awards. []
• In the market for jewelry that will look gorgeous on but is good for your karma, too? Fifteen percent of beanPye’s sales go to SaveDarfur.org. [Clutch]
• Even then, he had a flair for the flamboyant. [CL]
• How will Meagan Good play the hot girl on campus in every movie if she’s pregnant? [C&D]
