A Dash of: My Maxwell experience

Ok, its taken me long enough to write this. On Monday night my girls and I clicked our heels and headed to Madison Square Garden to see the Black Summer's Night Tour featuring Chrisette Michele, Common and starring Maxwell. Unfortunately we missed Chrisette due to a parking situation in NYC (Story of my life) but had the absolute pleasure of seeing the talented, rapper Common perform some of his hits along with R&B artist Bilal {remember him?). Common certainly did his thing I especially enjoyed the great tribute to hip-hop he did! Then, after the crowd got amped up to Jay-Z' & Alicia Key's Empire State anthem... the sexy, beautiful, Illustrious half Haitian & Puerto Rican man walked out in a heather grey, double vented suit worn with a crisp white shirt and simple a black belt and shoe combo. But do not be fooled, just because he was dressed straight out of a GQ magazine advertisement didn't stop him from putting on a heart stopping show. The outro to his CD played as images of him surfaced on the screen and he appeared, as you can imagine, immediately Victoria Secret panties magically turned into slingshots!! He did all of my and your favorites! I'm talking all of them, from Fortunate, to Lifetime, to Woman's Work and almost everything on his new release Black Summer's Night. His voice is incredible and his band in one word Phenomenal. I’ve literally been waiting to see Maxwell in concert for like ten years and it was worth the wait. This was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to and that’s definitely saying a lot. There's nothing like live music.

You say your kids' the Cutest??? Prove it!!

Hey there blog readers, when I saw this ad I thought about all the adorable children I know, so I thought I'd spread the word. Of course this is a process and there is alot of competition, but its beter to try and fail then fail to try, right? Right. Click on the link for all the information. Good luck!!

Register to Enter the Gap Casting Call


A Disney Family.com account is required to enter and vote.

Benefits of Joining:Enter your child into the Gap Casting Call contest. To be eligible, children must be between 0 and 10 years of age at the time of entry.
Help choose the Gap Casting Call winners from the top 20 finalists

Vote for your Fan Favorite

Receive exclusive offers from Gap
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/?cmp=OTC-Gap-Vanity
Read Contest Rules Register Now

H&M + Sonia Rykiel

H&M is at it again! The low-end high trend company has teamed up with the illustrious Sonia Rykiel aka "The Knit Queen" to form a collection due out December 5th. Other past designers have included Madonna, Matthew Williamson and Jimmy Choo [whose collection is in stores now as I type]. All of these designers brought some new and glamorously exciting to the brand without losing its youthful spirit. This collection will include Sonia's signature knit sweaters & dresses as well as accessories. And hold on to your garter ladies as it will also feature lingerie line as well which is a first in the history of the designer merges. The first portion of the collection will be out later this year as stated above and will bloom again, come spring of 2010.

For more articles that I've written on H&M and designer collaborations check me at www.ehugmag.com

Don Fisher Gone, The Gap lives on

GAP co-founder Don Fisher died yesterday after a battle with cancer. Fisher, along with his wife Doris, opened the first Gap store in 1969. [Hence, the 1969 line.]They took a simple tee shirt and jeans concept and turned it into an iconic store in the UK & US alike. Fisher stepped down as chairman of Gap in 2004 but had remained a director and executive of the brand. Chief executive and board chairman Glenn Murphy was quoted as saying; "Today we lost a friend, a mentor and a great visionary, Don and Doris took a simple idea and turned it into a brand a brand recognised as a cultural icon throughout the world and changed the face of retail forever."
How many people do you know haven't ever shopped in the GAP at one point or another? Unless you've been living under a rock, Gap Women/ Men, Baby/ Kids and Body have all been embraced by us or even hated at times for loosing its original luster. All the while, we've supported this brand & its growth throughout the years, thus making it forever relevent. Rest in peace Mr. Fisher, you've left a major mark in the Fashion Retail Industry.

                                                                 News source Vogue.com/ UK

Magazine Fly- Jeezy

Hiphop has grown up man...Jezzy looks great on the cover of the October/ November Issue of Complex Magazine. His fresh-to-deathness is doing it for me in this shot. He's owning his fly and I digg it.

Uniqlo & Jil Sander hook up

Drum roll please.....The New York City Soho Chic store Uniqlo has collaborated with fashion designer Jil Sander to launch the Uniqlo & J collection. The US launch date is set for October 1st, 2009. The collection consists of outerwear, denim, shirts, cut & sewn, knitwear,and other goods. Two words: Happy shopping!

NYC Fashion Week Spring 2010 *Favorites shows!!

GQ Menswear designer of the year

Congratulations Robert Geller on winning the GQ new Menswear designer of the year contest. When asked about the honor, Geller said he’d started work on his Levi's Spring/Summer 2010 collection in February, just days after he won honors from GQ (the award, in conjunction with the CFDA results in not only bragging rights but a $50,000 check and the aforementioned opportunity to work with Levi’s), so that would have justified the upbeat mood of his clothes even if it weren’t already the prevailing sentiment of the season. Robert's clothes can be found in the department store giant bloomingsdales. His clothes give me a "homeless chic" thing that I like. Do your thing Robert!

Award Show Fly- My picks from the VMA's

  

Beyonce Knowles [my favorite look of the night] Chace Crawford, Nelly Furtado, Djmon Honsou, Casey Afleck,  OK Go!, Alicia Keys, Swizz Bizz, Solange Knowles. Everyone here is exuding class, originality and flyness at its best. I love it!

Shamless Plug Gives the Socket to Ehug.

Some of you may wonder where I go when I'm not blogging here on All Things Fly. Well, here's your answer. A big shoutout goes to all of the beautiful & intelligent ladies I have the pleasure of sharing my writing with.

Fashion's Night Out= Success!

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Fashion's night out debuted on Thursday September 10th and it was indeed successful. I along with my partners in Crime and special a special guest gallivanted throughout New York City like a bunch of fanatical fashion obsessed fools. The city was on fire! You can't get energy like you get from this city anywhere else anyway, but when it involves fashion it’s on a whole other level. Our first stop was Macys' herald Square unfortunately Ms. Wintour was at the one in Queens. Upon my arrival I spotted the beautiful Amber Valetta & Tommy Hilfiger making their way out and into their cars. As I entered I heard the screams that lead me to the Fragrance department where Michael Kors gave out autographs and smiles. The very talented Rachel Roy was on the second level taking pictures with fans as her very new very affordably chic "Rachel" line flew off the hangers. Check out one of the pieces on Ms. Deejay! I just missed my opportunity for the meet & greet, but next time, right? Fifth Avenue was bombarded with people shopping, & browsing. Nine West looked like they were giving out free shoes, [imagine that] Juicy Couture was a mad house. Henri Bindle was flowing with alcohol, custom shoe makers and socialites. Down the street at Sean John, Mr. Sean himself was entertaining guests with Cypha Sounds on the ones & two's and a line outside that looked like BB Kings on a Saturday night. We reached SoHo where Rhianna was hopping from Store to Store "causing a stir" as twitter so eloquently put it. My favorite & latest import Top Shop got a visit from Vanessa & Angela Simmons while yours truly checked out the Boutique's clothes live Q&A section and took a bite of their delicious cookies. All and all a great way to spend an otherwise chilly and low key Thursday evening! I'm already anticipating next years' festivities!

Amber Rose's shades Part II

I think they were missing someone in the "Run This Town Video"...thy name is Amber. Amber Rose who I didn't know a year ago has become one of my favorite overnight for no apparent reason sensations [aka "model"]. Never has anyone come out of no where and kept my attention like little miss bad ass over here. Once again, her shades are crazy, not a lot of people could pull this look off either! I digg it!

9/11 ,How could we forget?

It's been eight years but it feels like it was just yesterday that this tragedy took place and broke the hearts of millions. I'll never begin to understand how human beings could commit such heinous crimes against other human beings. The reality is though, we can't disect what we can't identify. So for everyone that has suffered, families and friends of victims, my heart will always go out to you. Stay strong, keep your faith and God Bless.

Fly Music- Damn it, You Need This!!!

If you are going to purchase two things for your entertainment this September these two things should be it. I've never been more serious in my life. Okay, maybe I have,[lol] but the point is, you need this. Blueprint 3 is Jay-Z's 11th album. I don't know if I'll ever be able to say that I purchased that many album from one artist and have always at least liked every single one. I mean, let's just be serious, this man is the best rapper alive; challenge that statement if you dare. I don't know why everyone is so timid about saying that aloud, anyway. The album is excellent. The flow, content, production, guest apperances, all of it is crazy. And no, I'm not just saying that cus I'm [more than] a fan, I'm just saying you will not regret this $9.98 at Target. Also If you're a mass transit commuter like me, do your self another favor and pick up the XXL issue as well. Pick it up if you're not too, obviously... Ninety percent of the magazine is Hov. It features breakdowns of his Blueprint album(s) and a great photo shoot in honor of Rocawear's 10th anniversary, the shoot is styled by none other than hip-hop's & my favorite stylist June Ambrose. You're sure to enjoy the pictures shot like scenes from some of his videos, my favorite is the "Excuse me miss" depiction. WHO IS that male model?!!?! Damn. - well, ENJOY! Definitely share your opinions about the album too, I'd love to know what you think as always.

Fashion's Night Out NYC

Fashion week is upon us in New York City and we are all smiles!! Unfortunately I haven't hit the big leagues yet and I don't have front row seats to every show, I know, I know... sad :-(. One event I know I'll be attending for sure is FASHION'S NIGHT OUT NYC. In May this year, our beloved Mayor Bloomberg teamed up with Vogue Magazine's Anna Wintour to announce & promote this historic night. September 10th will be the first of the [hopefully] anual nightly event taking place in hundreds of stores throughout the city. The concpet is simple, leave retail stores open late so consumers (mainly fashion fiends like you & me) can shop til we drop. By doing this, they're hoping to give the economy the boost it so desperately asking for and perhaps the purchasing trend will continue throughout the Holiday season that is slowly approaching. For more details such as schedules, contests and where you can get a tshirt for Fashion Night out visit their website at :www.fashionnightout.com/timeline.php.

Pretty Dumb Thing

Let me just start by saying that I happen to love Harper's Bazaar. It was to be one of the more eclectic fashion magazines we have access to on News stands. However,I have serious issues with the September Issue. There are two covers. One with Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester, and one with Agyness Deyen dressed as Michael Jackson. Beyond the cover, the tribute spread and is featured as well as it is in this blog. I don't mean to make this a race issue, but the fact that it is a race issue, I'd figure I'd raise the issue!! If they were paying tribute to let's say...the late James Dean I could understand why they would choose Agyness Deyen to wear his leather jackets, ripped denim Jeans,and pose with a cigarette in her mouth. But that isn't the case, this is the African American Icon Michael Jackson we're talking about here. And, yes, everyone has opinions about Michael Jackson, ok, fine, that's another Blog. This photo shoot was done with the intent of honoring him,his style, charm, talent, and his ability to captivate millions of people with just one move. If you wanted to capture that fully, why wouldn't you choose a model of the mans' race? I'm just saying; was Naomi Campbell unavailable or something? For crying out loud, she was even featured in his "Keep it in the closet" music video! Do some research -Make the connection people!Even if she specifically wasn't available I'm sure they're plenty of other beautiful women of color who would've gladly done this "Pretty young Thing"shoot. The fashion is impeccable of course, all the jackets featured are beautiful, as they would be. But I'm honestly so perplexed, I can't enjoy it. All in all, I think this was a poor choice, Bazaar gets two huge thumbs down from me on this. In the world of twitter this would be considered a #MajorFail