Due to the recession, premium denim design labels have slashed — yes, slashed — their prices by $100. For real? Now they’re only $200?

A couple of years ago, desiner denim was a hot commodity. People wanted to be seen wearing True Religions (such as in the picture from Nordstrom.com) and Rock & Republic. So when people went to department stores and bought the pants in droves, according to the New York Times , designers took advantage of the market and increased their prices just because they could. Can you believe it? (I know, it’s not that hard to believe.)

I used to work at a department store and my job was to sell these jeans like it was nobody’s business. I had to say, “Oh, of course you can wear these blinged out jeans with crystals. They go with everything!” And I clearly knew, I wouldn’t be caught dead in them because I am not trying to go to a club and looking like a disco ball. I would honestly try to make a woman make sure she picked the jeans that fit best for her, but the more money she pulled out of her wallet made my wallet fatter.

What made me a bad salesman (well, not really bad, but not the greatest) was that I didn’t wear the jeans I sold. Why? Because they were too damn expensive! (Duh.) Ladies would always say how much they loved my jeans. They would grab a pair off the rack and compare them to mine and then run to the fitting room. Little did they know I got mine from Forever 21 for $12.50 and not the $140 the store was selling them for. In fact, the only pair of desinger jeans — J Brands I cherish — that I have are the ones I got for free for working there.

I need to think of the value when I buy something. I’m not the greatest at math, but let me tell you if something is expensive, I have to get use out of it. A pair of J Brands that I have cost $158. I figured if I wear them 60 times, that’s only $2.63 a wear. Not bad. But not everyone thinks like me.

And to be honest with you, it’s not the jeans that make someone look good. I have seen women stuff (so much so that she Incredible Hulked them)themselves into a pair of jeans because of the brand and spend half their paychecks to do it.

Am I glad that the prices of designer denim has gone down? Of course, it’s ridiculous that jeans cost that much. Everybody should have a chance to buy what they want without breaking the bank (although $200 is still unimaginable for me). Are there downsides to the price slash? Absolutely. Now women who shouldn’t have been squeezing themselves into the $300 pair of jeans, will still be chokin’ her thighs in the $200 pair. Sigh.

But one good thing out of it ain’t bad.

(from Glamour.com)

 

 

Just when you thought Mrs. Obama couldn’t get any classier, there she goes classing it up on Glamour‘s annual Women of the Year issue. The magazine is honoring the First Lady with a special recognition award for mentoring young women.

In the interview, Mrs. Obama touches on the importance of mentoring as well as relationships between men and women.

On mentoring: “I think that mentoring is such a critical part of the role I can play in this position. I see how little bits of exposure and big bits of exposure really change my girls significantly, and I want that for more girls around the country and the world.”

On relationships: “Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul…When you’re dating a man, you should always feel good…You shouldn’t be in a relationship with somebody who doesn’t make you completely happy and make you feel whole.”

Amen.

Obviously, I’m not the only one who loves Mrs. Obama. (She’s my 21st-century Claire Huxtable.) Mary Tomer, founder and writer for Mrs-O.org  just released her new book, Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy, yesterday.

I took a sneak peek at Barnes & Noble  and the illustrations are a-mazing. It even has pictures of her before her glam days (but you can tell she was still fierce!). Definitely a must buy coffee table reader.
 
Pick up your copy of the December of Glamour when it hits the newsstands, and run to your nearest bookstore to get Mrs. O now!

Say what you want about Chris Breezy, but you can’t deny the fact that his songs make you want to dance. I understand that the incident he had with Rihanna turned a lot of people off from him, and he lost a few endorsement deals, but it has nothing to do with his music.

Who cares if he lost his Wrigley gum campaign? Minty freshness has nothing to do with dancing, and I am a firm believer that dancing while chewing gum causes cramps anyway. So what if he dons ridiculous bow ties on interviews to make himself feel more approachable? Yes, I laughed and was slightly uncomfortable during that Larry King interview but whatever. Yes, he should just keep his mouth shut about what happened and how he still loves RiRi  and how mad he is at Oprah and how she should help him out. This still has nothing to do with his musical talent. (Come on, Chris, a little less talking, and a little more singing.)

With that said, is anyone out there loving his new single “I Can Transform Ya” like I am? The beat is hot and the video is actually decent (by 2009 standards). And if you think that the song sounds like Beyonce’s “Upgrade U,” don’t blame Chris, blame Swizz Beatz who produced both songs. Even still, “Transform Ya” has its own flavor, and I’m gonna bump it without regret or shame.

Poor Kanye. First, his concert tour with Lady Gaga gets canceled, and now his clothing line, Pastelle, closes just after two days of revealing it online.

The fashion icon had been wearing pieces from his line at different award shows (above, at the American Music Awards last year). He also had a sneaker line with clothing giant Louis Vuitton.

From what I’ve seen Pastelle wasn’t anything but a bunch of hoodies and jackets anyway. It’s 2009, Kanye. We off that.

What you say? She ain't no diva!

We need an intervention. We have been overusing and abusing the word diva, and we need to stop. Not everyone is a diva, so not everyone should call themselves one. What key ingredients make a diva?

UrbanDictionary.com defines diva as “a bitchy woman that must have her way exactly, or no way at all. Often rude and belittles people, believes that everyone is beneath her and thinks that she is so much more loved than she really is.” Webster defines it as “a usually glamorous and successful performer or personality.”

Whoa. Those two definitions are drastically different . Where did the disconnect come about? When did diva become so bad?

It might have started with Diana Ross. She’s definitely the ultimate diva. It might have continued with Jennifer Lopez. It was reported that the so-so singer/actress wanted her dressing room to be all whie (white flowers, furniture, etc.) She denied this in the September issue of InStyle. But to me, that’s normal. Celebrities make odd requests all the time, but when did we normals start to think we were official divas?

I blame it on Beyonce. In fact, I blame a lot of things on Beyonce — global warming, hangnails, traffic jams, you name it. So, of course, I have to blame diva abuse on Mrs. Carter. She released the song “Diva” from her album I Am… Sasha Fierce. “A diva is a female version of a hustler,” she sang. Has anyone ever actually listened to these lyrics? It’s nonsense, so much so that I thought Lil’ Wayne wrote this gobbledy-gook.

“When he pull up / wanna pop my hood up / bet he better have a six pack in the cooler / Gettin’ money / Divas gettin’ money / If you ain’t gettin’ money then you ain’t got nuttin’ for me.” WTF?! What does it all mean?

In dissecting this mess, it became clear to as to why we are why there is mass confusion over the word. We’re using it all willy nilly in any kind of situation. There are so many instances where it is acceptable to call yourself a diva. Listed below are the times when it is not:

• In the chekout line at the grocery store. Yes, the bagger boy is bagging you groceries. No, he’s not just there for you.
• While waiting in line for the bus. It’s not acceptable at anytime.
• At your kid sister’s recital. That instrumental was not an invitation for you to come on stage and sing.

My BFF, Sheree, think that diva doesn’t have to be so negative. “When you love yourself enough but also not passing judgment on others,” she said, “so that you feel non-threatened by another woman because you love you… Now, that to me is a diva.”

Okay, I think I get it now. If you make diva positive and stop using the word in silly situations, it can make sense again. But until then let’s cease and desist. In diva name, we pray. Amen.