I just saw this book, The ELLEments of Personal Style: 25 Modern Fashion Icons on How to Dress, Shop, and Live,  at Barnes & Noble yesterday, and it looked pretty cool. Apparently, it came out back in October, but this was the first time that I even heard of it.

The book took new style icons such as Christina Hendricks of Mad Men, new favorite Lea Michelle of Glee, Alicia Keys, and Diane von Furstenberg (plus more), and it displayed their style inspirations and fave items they can’t live without.

What I loved about it was that they actually featured Tracee Ellis Ross whom I love, love, love! Ellis has clearly been influenced by her mother, Diana Ross, who she credits as being her fashion icon. I feel like we haven’t seen Tracee much since her Girlfriends days, so it was cool to see her featured in the book especially since she has oh-so-great style.

ELLEments of Personal Style also had chapters on singer Estelle and choreographer Fatima Robinson. I’m glad to see that ELLE . It’s definitely worth checking out.

Shimmy shimmy ya, shimmy yeah, shimmy yeah! Sparkle is in for the holiday season, which is great, but the trick is to be tasteful and not look like an overgrown disco ball. (Above, sequin dress, Aryn K., $98, piperline.com)

Sequins and shimmer are all over the racks, but which to choose? There are tons of options, so if a whole outfit of glitterati is too much, you can always jazz up an outfit with accessories!



Skirt, J. Crew, $128, jcrew.com

Sequin beret, Forever 21, $5.80, forever21.com

Highlights, $8.95, blinghighlights.com

Nail Polish, Sephora by OPI, $9, sephora.com

Solid perfume ring, Juicy Couture, $42, sephora.com (This is 2-in-1!)

The week she put on her first fashion show, Michelle Otero knew she had to be on her grind. When she was approached with the idea by friend Tika Jones she was down, but it only gave her one week to create eight different looks and introduce her line of leggings and jewelry, Radical Luxury, to everyone.

As her designs hit the stage, Otero, 27, her heart pounded through her chest with excitement. “It was an adreneline rush to see my own stuff,” she said.

With her first show down (and with major success), Otero has her game plan but first…

ARMOIRE CHIC: What is Radical Luxury?

MICHELLE OTERO: I don’t even know, just one day, one night, I was in my room watching The Golden Girls and the name came out of nowhere. It’s radical, and it’s luxurious.

AC: But why leggings and jewelry?

MO: People don’t think it [the leggings trend] was going to last when they came back a couple of years ago. For the most part they look good, and they’re flattering on everyone. As far as jewelry goes, I need at least one showstopper piece. With the jewelry line it’s going to get you noticed. Even if it’s one piece, you will definitely get noticed.

Otero attends the Art Institute of Boston and takes classes online to fulfill her fashion design and retail management major. She said her course load and work regime are “very disciplined,” but a lot of what she’s done is self-taught. Designing and school wasn’t always her first choice. It was something she thought about in recent years. Back in the day, school was the furthest thing from her mind.

“After high school I went to community college,” she said. “I got financial aid, and I thought I was the shit.” She didn’t take her work seriously, and she quit. Otero said she will be done with the Art Institute when she graduates next year.

AC: What made you want to start designing?

MO: I’ve always kind of done it but never did anything with it. As far as going to the extent that I am now, I had a full time job that paid well and [had] benefits, but I woke up everyday and it wasn’t for me. I always designed. I’m not the best artist, it’s not my forte, but I have ideas and I put it in my mental vault and save it for later. I’ve been making clothes ever since I was a kid. I made clothes for my dolls. It wasn’t the best, but it always served it’s purpose.

From there she made prom dresses and outfits for her friends. Otero said she can make anything out of anythng and remembers a time when she made a dress out of a hotel bed sheet by folding and knotting and twisting so much “you would have thought it was couture.”

Otero grew up in a house with three older sisters and three very different personalities, so maybe it was inevitable that she would be a designer to set herself apart from her siblings.

“I have three older sisters and my mom,” she said. “You have five personalities and five different styles.” She gets her obsession of clothes from her mother. “My mother is a clothes hoarder. [She has] shoes for days, clothes for days.”

AC: What inspires you?

MO: I’m a freak. I think clothing just shouldn’t be about clothes, it should speak to you as a person… I like to show skin. I like to show sex. I mean, not to say I’m going to show it all of the time, but my leggings are meant to be dressed with a tunic and blazer, just freak it, you know what I mean?

AC: What designers influence you?

MO: Diane von Furstenberg. She really styles for a woman. She’s iconic for her wrap dresses. Her silhouette  is for a woman. I still have my first Diane von Furstenberg dress that I paid an arm and a leg for, but when I wear it, it kind of like my power dress.

Otero came up with a pair based on an old candy cane she found in her mom’s attic. She also named her leggings after each of her friends based on their personality.

First fashion show is down, so what is next for Radical Luxury?

“If popularity increases I would like to start selling,” Otero said. Next spring, she may be able to launch her line in the Guess stores in Newberry and Cambridge, Mass.

“If it pops and sells, who knows what will happen from there? I hope for it to be extremely successful. I want my style to change and evolve. I want it to be a name you recognize and know. Pretty fades, fly is forever, man. That’s radical luxury.”

From Coco & Creme — When fashion industry leaders gathered at the New York Public Library in the fall of 2007 questioning the absence of Black models on the runways and in fashion editorials, a global dialogue was sparked, implicating the fashion industry for its less than diverse practices.

This conversation largely influenced Vogue Italia’s “All Black Issue.” The legendary Bethann Hardison who consulted on the issue was the most paramount voice in getting the discussion off the ground. Not long after, high-end designers began embracing Black models for their promotional campaigns and Fashion Week shows. But these days it seems that the once jolting blaze is calming. And much like the appearance of heels with socks on runways, Black models are seemingly just another fleeting fad.

But Black models are necessary. Just like the critical need for Latina and Asian models, consumers need to see diversity in the representation of clothing and styles marketed to them season after season. And for those of you who don’t think race matters when it comes to fashion, here are five reasons why is does.

1. Black Models Change the Game.
From Adrienne Fidelin and Naomi Simms to Tyson, Black models change the game. Black models’ discernible, like-no-other features, curvaeous bodies and coco skin are influential and revolutionary. There will never be another Naomi Campbell walk or a “smize” like Tyra’s.

2. Women Who Look Like Us.
The beauty and glam of Black models encourages positive self-esteem and versatile images of Black women in the public space. This has an amazing affect on Black youth and their self-concept. How many of you weren’t influenced by Tyra’s role in “Higher Learning?”

Read the rest at Coco & Creme !

From COCO & CREME - One woman’s trash is another woman’s new wardrobe. It’s no surprise that celebs like Solange Knowles, Zoe Kravitz and girl group Electrik Red are hitting up racks at thrift and vintage shops to create one-of-kind ensembles at insanely discounted prices. Now you can get in on the craze with Coco & Crème’s go-to guide for everything you need to know to get the best thrifted and vintage finds!

Thrifted vs. Vintage vs. Consignment
Thrift shop merchandise can come from any era and price point. Since thrift shop items are typically donated, clothes might be stained, ripped or worn and are significantly cheaper than vintage and consignment pieces.

Vintage stores typically sell premium or designer clothing. They get their merchandise from wholesale retailers of used clothing, swap meets, vintage fairs and estate sales or flea markets. There are usually decades of trends to choose from. The clothes tend to be pricier and better quality than thrift shop merchandise.

At consignment shops individuals sell their used clothing through a dealer who takes a percentage of the profit. Most shops won’t accept merchandise unless it looks like new. Because of this, the items sell at a higher price than those found at thrift shops. Since the dealers must share their profits, they want to get the highest price possible and typically sell high-end goods.

Thrift Tips:
1. Shop where the good stuff is. Thrift shops in upscale neighborhoods tend to be chock-full with upscale merch. But be careful not to completely overlook any thrift stores, flea markets or garage sales.

2. Go often. Chances are that you won’t find something every time you step foot in a thrift store, so make a stop every chance you get and get familiar with when they restock.

Check out the rest of the tips at Coco & Creme !