Ponder this...

For once, I am not going to go on some random tangent about my life and I’m going to go straight to the fashion (don’t get used to it, I’m just happen to be in a state of internal analysis at this point… rest assured,  you will get some long convoluted post with the final conclusions!). Ok seriously, on to today’s designers:

For starters, I’m not fan of the word “Negro” for what I hope are obvious reasons, however designers Sebastian and Demetrius have done their part to create a strong political statement with thier line of stylish, thought provoking t-shirts.

“A dangerousNegro is a Danger to America’s racial paradigm, a Danger to low expectations, a Danger to degenerate black mentalities, and is Dangerously contagious to the miseducated individual. Are you a dangerousNegro or soon to be endangered Negro?” Dead Prez much? (Actually you can check out DP’s newest single on their blog, now that I think about it!)

dangerousNEGRO’s  mission is to help promote the Black Empowerment Movement through fashion and entertainment. DN hopes that by serving as a visual representation of the Black Empowerment Movement, the brand can help to inspire action and combat the apathy that has taken over many aspects of the Black community.

I loooove the goal digger t-shirt… if only switching mentalities was as easy as switching your t-shirt!! Anyway, they’re cool, so check them out.

check out their blog  or  become a fan on facebook

Happy New Year!!!
Last night, with the appropriate accompaniments and company, I took time to reflect on 2008. It’s truly a year I will never forget. It’s crazy how life can seem so simple… you know, like everything is all mapped out. It’s almost like following a maze when you already know the way to the end… it’s still fun and still kind of adventurous, but you’ve seen the map and know the way to go…  so…. although there are side paths and cool diversions, at the end of the day you know exactly where you are going. 2008 was kind of like that, except when I got to the part of the maze that I thought was the end, I realized it wasn’t …and, in fact it was just the beginning. It was like the finishing point of the maze was actually a giant fork in the road with all these different directions and no guidance as to which path was the right path to take. This little journey I had started all safe, secure, and predetermined all of a sudden became kind of confusing, wildly adventurous and completely amazing. With only that little inner voice as my guide, I embarked on this crazy journey that led me to some amazing places and people. I can honestly say I have met some of my closet friends ever this year, and it’s all because I was forced off the predetermined path and into this incredible journey fueled solely by intuition.

Phew, now that I’m done being mushy… on to the fashion. Today I picked two different designers that are basically polar opposites. However, I like the fact that in my world and in my mind they go together just fine. Nothing like some sexy lingerie under a suit and rugged messenger bag to tie the whole thing together. I’m a big fan of contradictions and often consider myself a walking contradiction… so here you go.

First, the messenger bag, which made me smile for obvious reasons aside from the fact I love how it looks. Trav, yours is in the mail :). Anyway, I love this bag made by Ducti!

Next, the adorable line of lingerie by Carol Malony.

In the late 1970s, when Carol Malony began importing European lingerie for her chain of retail boutiques in the Los Angeles area, she was inspired to create her own line to rival the European brands she carried.  Happily, she found her own fresh designs sold alongside the European imported labels. Carol maintains her passion for super sexy and elegant lingerie launching two new collections sure to thrill: Carol Malony Signature, and Haute by Carol Malony—Carol’s elite collection! Carol Malony Signature was designed with a singular goal: to bring sexy, stylish, exciting lingerie with European flair to the market at a good value.
It’s sexy, it’s quality, and it’s collectible—Vive la Revolution!!!!
Haute by Carol Malony is for our customer who has a taste for luxurious, high fashion lingerie. Each style is meticulously nurtured, from the selection of fine French laces to the detailed craftsmanship. Often inspired by classic French lingerie, Haute by Carol Malony is delicate and refined but with a sassy attitude which gives it a fashionable edge.
Carol believes in embracing life without fear…in being bold and unique. Her vision of the world is one of strong, independent women who own their femininity and sensuality, and who demand quality and inspiration everyday. In her words:

“We LOVE our collections. We get the ‘LOVE’ butterflies from every item we produce. If we don’t get butterflies it’s back to the drawing board…Because “LOVE” is what it’s all about.”

Now that’s a brand philosophy and a life philosophy to live by… I’m always looking for those butterflies :)!

I almost forgot the song of the day from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. I looooved this movie.

Jai Ho (Featuring Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah & Mahala)
- A.R. Rahman

Want exclusive access to RueLaLa PLUS $10 to spend?

Just follow this link and enter my email address: brooke@urbansocialite.com for access to the site plus $10 towards your first purchase. Consider it my gift to you!

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I’ve never been good and planning… therefore I find myself gift-less two days before Christmas. If you’re anything like me you’re kind of in panic mode…
Here are some great last minute gifts that are sure to please.

Gift Guides
Girlie Girl Gift Guide #1
Girlie Girl Gift Guide #2
Girlie Girl Gift Guide #3
Green Holiday Gift Guide from Inhabitat
Real Simple has a great guide of 50 gifts under $50
YumSugar’s Last-Minute Gourmet Gifts
PetSugar’s Last Minute Gifts For Dog Lovers
BellaSugar’s Beauty Gift Ideas For Last-Minute Shoppers
CasaSugar’s 10 No-Fail Last-Minute Gifts
geeksugar’s Last Minute Gift Guide

Steals and Deals
Check out the Budget Fashionista for great last minute shopping deals
CheapCheapCheap will give you the low-down on the lowest prices for just about anything.
Shop Smart Bargains (and thank Melka) by noon today and you’re guaranteed by Christmas!

And please don’t forget…
Shop locally… be sure to stop by your independent and locally owned shops!
Remember those less fortunate than you

*Yes that’s a T & C blue box. I mean… what says “Merry Christmas” more than than baby blue and white?

The other day I was sitting on the subway reading when a bunch of high school girls crammed on the train. Now, I know this is going to make me sound old, but it has to be said… What the &%$# is wrong with kids these days?

It’s liked I walked out of work and into an episode of The Simple Life.
First the outfit: leggings, uggs, and some cheeky t-shirt with a saying and a tight jacket accessorized by some obvious bag (LV, Coach and double-C’s ruled the day with this particular crowd).  I thought fads were supposed to change!! Is it me or was I blogging about these hideous trends YEARS ago? I mean, if you’re going to be a shallow slave to mass-media produced trends, you could at least swap the Uggs for a pair of riding boots (I’m not saying I’m a huge fan of that look… but if you’re going to go for it, GO FOR IT, you know? Don’t muck around in a three-seasons ago look… so depressing!)

Then the conversation: “OMG, like I’m going to read this? I haven’t read a book in like, years.” Followed by laughter. I don’t know what book our Herbal-Essences-dyed blond friend was talking about, but it was clear she hadn’t read anything in years. I know when you’re in high school there’s that whole popularity thing you have to reconcile with… but I guess the way I’ve always looked at it, the popular kids always had some kind of substance. I mean, even Blair wants to get into Yale… right?*

Lastly, the complete and utter self- centeredness . When I was a teenage I was SOOO self-obsessed it wasn’t even funny. I think that’s part of being a teenager. But these chicks, with their over-sized purses, loud conversation and complete and utter disregard for other people were astounding.
Enter: Old woman with a limp.  You’d think instead of rolling their eyes and giving this 90-year old woman the critical eye (I mean, her knit sweater was like, sooo 30 years ago) they would offer her a seat. You’d think. I mean, they were congregating right by the door. Instead, the thuggish looking kid in the hoodie listening to hip-hop so loud I could hear who it was (Rick Ross) got up and offered the woman his seat. Mad points for the Jr. Thug.

Anyway, I had just had to rant. Not to be completely pessimistic, but no wonder America is on shaky ground. I wouldn’t be ranting about these four girls if they were an anomaly, but they’re like an American endemic. Materialistic, vacuous, shallow, promiscuous, meaningless girls. I’m sick of it.

This is why I LOVE Ndoema and I’m quite certain you will to. She’s started a “Global Girl” movement based on her short film “I’m not Britney.”
It’s like a PSA for the above mentioned girls.

Her message is that of a strong, powerful, positive woman. A global woman who has her priorities in check and her eyes on something greater than the next Gucci sample sale.

About Ndoema:

Actress, producer, college girl extraordinaire, human rights advocate, new media entrepreneur, technologist and fashion phenom, Ndoema (en-Doy-mah) is inspiring and empowering college girls around the globe. Half African/Half European and 100 percent cosmopolitan, Ndoema ricocheted between a dozen countries before the age of twenty, garnered a pair of Master’s degrees in International Relations, graced the Parisian catwalk, served as a UN field rep in the mine-strewn wastelands of Mozambique, pursued a Ph.D in International Law, served as legal advisor to the Tibetan government in exile, drafted reports and legal documentation for the UN High Committee on Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and simultaneously trained as a classical ballerina at the French National School of Music, Dance and Dramatic Arts. Springboarding to the Parsons School of Design in New York, within a month the chronic overachiever was approached by the faculty and invited to teach. Her portfolio was submitted to the chairman of the Fashion department and within 48 hours Nodema went from student to guest lecturer.

Her designs have been featured an impressive array of Hollywood and fashion publications, spearheaded by a profile in Variety’s “Designing Hollywood” special issue. Ndoema’s spectacularly staged multimedia events, at prime venues such as Hollywood and Highland, (home of the Oscars), as well as her own 60,000 square foot gallery in downtown L.A.’s historic Southern Pacific Railway building, have since attracted thousands of attendees and garnered high-profile corporate sponsorships including Shiseido, Vespa, Carlton International and Wilhelmina.

Ndoema is also a pioneer and heartfelt advocate of the concept of entertainment as a vehicle for social change and is currently developing a slate of feature films that will propel her dynamic themes of inclusivity, unity and empowerment into the Hollywood spotlight, and into the hearts and minds of audiences across the globe.

Be sure to check out her film (you can watch on her site) and the Global Girl website. Look at that, free entertainment with a positive message! You know in these tough economic times, I always have your interests at heart!

*Yeah, that’s a Gossip Girl reference. We all have our weaknesses…..

While driving home from the Cape this weekend I was listening to NPR (don’t look shocked, you already knew I had this aspect to my personality). I was enthralled as I listened to an interview with Harlem Artist, Kehinde Wiley. I went to his online gallery as soon as I got home and was struck by his images. I love the way he applies his classical training and interprets modern day society. I know you love fashion, but I figured it would nice to start your week off with some thought provoking artwork.

Kehinde Wiley is a New York based painter from Los Angeles who has situated himself firmly within art history’s tradition of portrait painting. Wiley, as the contemporary descendent of a long line of portraitists including Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, Ingres, and others, appropriates the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, opulent, majestic, and sublime in his representations of young, urban, black men.

The subjects and stylistic references for his paintings are juxtaposed inversions of each other, forcing ambiguity and provocative perplexity to pervade his imagery. By applying the visual vocabulary and conventions of glorification, history, wealth, power, and prestige to subject matter drawn from the urban fabric in which he is embedded, Wiley presents his young men as both heroic and pathetic, aestheticized and reified, autonomous and manipulated. Ultimately, Wiley’s practice disturbs and interrupts tropes of portrait painting to locate, in his words, “class struggle at the level of sign”.

Wiley’s paintings often blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary modes of representation. Rendered in a realistic mode –– while making references to specific old master paintings –– Wiley creates a fusion of period styles, ranging from French rococo, Islamic architecture and West African textile design to urban hip–hop and the “Sea Foam Green” of a Martha Stewart Interiors color swatch. Wiley’s slightly larger than life size figures are depicted in a heroic manner, as their poses connote power and spiritual awakening. Wiley’s portrayal of masculinity is filtered through these poses of power and spirituality.

His portraits are based on photographs of young men who Wiley sees on the street, begun last year with men mostly from Harlem’s 125th Street, the series now includes models from the South Central neighborhood where he was born. Dressed in street clothes, they are asked to assume poses from the paintings of Renaissance masters, such as Titian and Tiepolo. Wiley also embraces French rococo ornamentation; his references to this style compliment his embrace of hip–hop culture. Similarly, the poses of his figures appear to derive as much from contemporary hip–hop culture as from Renaissance paintings.

The artist describes his approach as “interrogating the notion of the master painter, at once critical and complicit.” Wiley’s figurative paintings “quote historical sources and position young black men within that field of power.” In this manner, Wiley’s paintings fuse history and style in a unique and contemporary manner.

I have tons to do this AM so I best be on my way. Of course I have to leave you with something cool and fun to mull over! What better than Ekovaruhuset, the self-professed “new kind of store.”

Ekovaruhuset was started in Stockholm using only organic materials. “At Ekovaruhuset all the clothes you will find are made the natural way, using all organic materials. This means the fibers that the fabrics are made of have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides and made into fabric, then dyed in facilities that are environmentally responsible,” says creator Johanna Hofring. She goes on to say:

We are changing the stale, patchouli-scented perception of organic fashion through our cutting-edge European collections, as well as hand-made, one-of-a-kind creations crafted by local, up-and-coming designers who are exclusive to Ekovaruhuset.
The wool we use comes from animals that have been treated well and have never had to experience chemical baths or other torturous methods. All the wool we use is organic and most of it is certified (except some that we get from small producers; but we are in close contact with them and we know they work according to organic guidelines).
“Fair Made” is a term we use, like “Fair Trade” - meaning we have the pleasure to support producers that practice fair working conditions and ethics for their employees. But we also encourage and support smaller scale local production units, as this gives us a better chance for good communication and cooperation.
THE FUTURE IS NOW. In our hands, for us to shape however we like… I personally find this very exciting.
We can “rise to the occasion” and take on the possibilities we have as consumers to better the one phenomena that so much in our society is built on.
The way we choose to shop can change the impact industry has on our planet and the lives of millions of people and animals into something very positive.
It’s all about having fun and looking fabulous while saving the world…

Looking fabulous while saving the world, now there’s something we can all strive for! Anyway, you’re going to love all of the great deisgners in the Eko-collective. Be sure to click on the spring/ summer 2008 look-book (in PDF format) and stop by the showroom on Ludlow Street in NYC.

Also, a quick FYI: Tyler, modeling consultant-extraordinaire, wanted Urban Socialite readers to know that America’s Next Top Model is currently casting. He must know how gorgeous you all are! Anyway, just go to gotcast.com for more details. I love ANTM. Seriously, my co-workers and I were obsessed with the last season. I still think Katarzyna should have won!

How many times I have I rolled my eyes and ranted on this site about fake bags. Especially fake Louis. I won’t bore you with a repeat-rant . . . however I will say every time I see someone carrying a fake I want to tell them nicely, “We all know its a fake. We’re not impressed.” I’m not suggesting you should have a closet full of the real thing (I actually don’t think I own any Louis, now that I think about it), I’m just saying, buy what you can afford, rock your own style, and for heaven’s sake try to work a bit of originally into your wardrobe.

Need some help? Look no further than Poketo! for some of the coolest creative art around. “Poketo is a producer of limited edition artist-designed lifestyle goods, and an ever-expanding network of international artists. Founded by Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo, promotes the work of emerging and established artists through beautiful, accessible art objects: wallets, apparel, stationery, housewares, design objects, prints, and more. Through functional, design-driven wares, Poketo takes art off of gallery walls and makes them part of your everyday life. Poketo products are available internationally in fine boutiques, museums, and Poketo.com. Poketo.com houses the entire collection and artist roster, and is also a place for people to connect with the artist community. The Poketo blog and photo Flickr chronicles art events, as well as Ted and Angies travels, karaoke sessions, and latest food finds.”

Obviously I love the FAKE BAG which visualizes and satirize the current era by combining the Louis Vuitton brand and graphic with the image FAKE. Through this project, artist Zinoo Park critiques idolization of brand names and prevalence of knock-offs. Featured at the London’s 100% Design. Only 100 made for an art exhibit in Seoul called “Wake Up Andy Warhol”. (Poketo! recently convinced them to make a few more so grab them while they’re in stock!)
Also check out:

Clips from the New Yorker Conference 2008- featuring “The Tanning of America” and personal favorite Malcolm Gladwell

The Uptown Emerging Designer’s Market- by way of I like her style, this awesome new site is Harlem’s newest fashion retail destination featuring a variety of cutting-edge designers of apparel and accessories!

One Pulse and Nadia Plesner question LV’s ethics (’bout time someone did!)