Style [+] Life [+] Fashion by [@kwest1908]
Forever 21 has just announced its #ForeverLA collection featuring NBA licensed Lakers merch! The exclusive collection features masks, crew socks, shorts, embroidered tanks, tees, and joggers for men & women. While the collection naturally dons the team’s signature purple and gold colors, it also features tie dyes, white and black color blocking, prints, and more. The collection ranges from $9.99 – 39.99.
March is Women’s History Month and Forever 21 has launched a new collection of fierce women’s empowerment pieces that will also give back!
For every piece purchased in the collection online or in-store, Forever 21 will give back $1 to Step Up—an organization committed to propelling girls living in under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential by empowering them to become confident, college-bound, career-focused, and ready to join the next generation of professional women.
Herself Magazine Graphic Tee
The collection will feature pieces for men and women; and retails from $2.99-$24.99.
It’s not that much longer now – spring is upon us and with that comes a rise in temperatures and the inevitable change of the wardrobe. Those heavy layers are no longer needed, and you may be looking for ways to integrate some lovely spring colours into your look. So, before you hit the shops and pick up some new items, here’s a look at what will be hot and trending in terms of a spring 2021 wardrobe.
Featured Photo from E! Online
One of the hottest trends for spring 2021 is spring dresses in all styles, colours, prints, and lengths. What this means is that you have a lot of freedom to choose the ones that speak to you. Dresses with full skirts are particularly hot for spring so you can keep your eyes open for that style.
If it’s still a bit chilly to break out your new spring dress, try layering a cardigan or blazer on top and wear a pair of tall boots rather than more traditional warm weather shoes like sandals.
If you’ve been sporting skinny jeans for the past few years, it’s time to embrace the latest denim trend which is loose denim. Look for wide legged denim that has more of a vintage and lived-in quality to it.
Picture yourself sunbathing on the beach, relaxing, and enjoying the summer heat. Now it’s time to take those vibes and that beachwear style and integrate it into your spring wardrobe. This can be done with nautical prints, beach-type images and patterns, soft natural colours you’d find on the beach, and of course, casual style clothing.
Traditionally, there are colours that emerge for each season that prove to be trendy and, right now, pink is shaping up to be that colour for spring 2021. All shades of pink will be trending, including bright fuchsia pink that can really add a bright and youthful pop to your complexion.
As you shop for your new spring wardrobe, the key to looking great is finding the right fit. The right fit ensures that you look put together, the garment hangs and fits as it should, and that you feel confident and comfortable. Designers are now catering to a much broader range of body sizes and shapes, which means finding your proper size has never been easier. If you’re looking for a selection of plus sized items, check out froxx.
If you prefer shopping online rather than in-person, make sure you take your body measurements to use with the website’s sizing guide. The majority of online retailers will have a sizing guide posted.
All of these wardrobe essentials will make it possible for you to step into spring with style and confidence. And what’s great is that so many of these pieces can be mixed and matched with your existing wardrobe.
Collaborative Post
Yesterday, Rep. Stacey Plaskett was articulate and well-spoken. But, there was one distinction that stunned audiences; her BGL Belted Caped Dress.
She appeared during the Impeachment Proceedings wearing a beautiful, professional look; strand of pearls, caped dress, and nude pumps.
How does all of this relate to us? Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett did what we would like to say on social media, showed up! The dress she was seen wearing complimented her body shape and skin tone.
When I work with personal styling (or shopping) clients we sit down and perform a color analysis, discuss hairstyles, make-up application, and wardrobe building.
Most importantly, we talk about the importance of creating a personal style and what does it communicate.
Rep. Stacey Plaskett’s style demonstrated loyalty, honesty, and power!
Twitter followers tweeted commentary and the masses have spoken! To purchase your own Blue Caped Dress click here: Neiman Marcus
Over the past few years, fast fashion has taken over the clothing industry. Instead of concentrating on well-made, long-lasting investment pieces, many popular retailers instead sell poorly constructed garments made from inferior synthetic materials for an extremely low cost. The design of these clothes is often trend-led, meaning that they quickly become dated after only a few seasons and are subsequently discarded. However, the toll that fast fashion is taking on the environment is quickly becoming evident, as well as the poor working conditions and wages of the people employed in making fast fashion clothing. If you would like to help in the fight against fast fashion, read on for three top tips for building a sustainable wardrobe.
Photo Credit: @brandy Instagram
Instead of buying into fast fashion, you could instead buy your clothing second hand. Do not let the fact that these clothes are pre-owned put you off – you don’t necessarily have to spend hours going through a smelly $1 sales rack at Goodwill (although you can find some gems here if you are willing to put in the work). If you know exactly what it is you are after, try searching for it on an online sales platform such as eBay. You can find some real bargains here, with a lot of clothes being either brand new or only worn a handful of times. Alternatively, you could look at specialist vintage clothing dealers, who will be able to provide you with a unique and sustainable piece of fashion history.
If you do decide to buy an item of clothing brand new, make sure you buy from an ethical retailer, such as yuniont.com. An ethical retailer will use fabric obtained through sustainable sources, such as recycled fabric, and have the items sewn in an ethical environment that pays workers fairly for their labor. They may also seek to reduce the air miles involved in producing the garment and avoid using materials that could potentially involve putting an animal through pain, such as angora. This information is often readily available on a sustainable retailer’s website so that customers have complete transparency about business practices and manufacturing methods.
As much as fast fashion is trend-led, you could avoid this pitfall by creating a wardrobe based on classic pieces that will always look chic, rather than constantly chasing after the lastest trends. Garments such as a white t shirt, well-cut pair of jeans, and little black dress can be used to create many different looks suitable for any occasion; however, what garments you choose to include in your capsule wardrobe will depend on your own personal style – you might consider a leather jacket indispensable, whereas someone else might prefer a beige mac, for instance. Buy items that are well made and the best that you can afford on your budget. This way, you are unlikely to need to replace them after only a few wears.
Collaborative Post
The hair, those masks, bold accessories, and tone on tone looks was an entire movement! Inauguration Day 2021 did not disappoint despite the circumstances. We stood by to witness several firsts. Madam Vice President Kamala Harris became the first African-American and South Asian woman in office, and a member of the first African-American sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Everyone showed up to view this monumental event but the tables quickly turned as the Former First Lady Michelle Obama stunned everyone with her gorgeous hair, jumpsuit, and statement belt.
Photo Credit: @thestylejournal Instagram
Meanwhile, women on social media participated in a phenomenon by wearing a strand of pearls and classic, Chuck Taylor sneakers. It was amazing to see everyone support of this nation-wide, historic moment!
First Lady Jill Biden was a class act wearing a tweed coat, coordinating gloves, and handbag from designer Christopher John Rogers.
Yesterday was a fashionable moment that left a mark on the hearts of those across America!
Join the conversation tomorrow via Instagram Live during the new video series: Lunch with Kim. Instagram @kwest1908
ESSENCE, the leading media, technology and commerce company serving Black women, kicks off 2021 with a stunning January + February cover art exclusive. Legendary artist Lorna Simpson collaborates with global fashion and beauty founder Robyn Rihanna Fenty (who recently launched Fenty Skin globally in stores in the U.S. and the U.K.) to reinterpret the narrative of modern-day beauty in the gorgeous photographic cover collage, Of Earth & Sky, and in images comprising a 12-page portfolio feature inside the January + February issue. Over the past 15 years of her acclaimed three-decade career, Simpson has created collages that recontextualize images of Black women from vintage pages of Ebony and Jet magazines. Like all of Simpson’s celebrated works, these original pieces are more than what meets the eye.
Simpson channels Rihanna as her muse throughout the spectacular artistic rendering—reimagining the artist in a way that has neverbeenseen before. Rihanna looks ethereal in designer piecesincluding from her signature Savage X Fenty line as well as Prada, Givenchy, Hood by Air, Thelma West, Rick Owens and more.Simpson states:“…I needed to create images of Rihanna to place within the environments of source materials from my archive. For the project to have the same kind of dramatic visual intensity as my collage work to date, I had to consider the atmosphere and lighting of specific source materials before arriving to set. Knowing Rihanna’s charisma and commanding presence, my effort was then to be as present and prepared as possible to capture her exquisite performance for the camera…”
The package also features the piece, Anthems of Possibility, written by Simpson’s daughter, writer and actor Zora Simpson Casebere. She weighs in on how Rihanna helped shape her womanhood at an early age and how serving as a stand-in model on set for her mother was a full-circle moment. She muses:“…At 13, I was deeply grateful that at a formative time in my life, it was Rihanna’s voice and art that became my portals to so many questions about sexuality, sexual exploration and sexual autonomy. Now, on set, I assisted my mother as a model as she explored how she might later place Rihanna within the visual contexts she’d selected from vintage Ebony magazines, old Associated Press photographs and 19th-century lithographs of mineral specimens. When Rihanna arrived at the set—my first time seeing her in real life—I was mesmerized. She was the very definition of grace, charisma and influence. Wearing a magnificent Maximilian black headdress, she requested the song ‘Thick’ by DJ Chose, then met the camera with power and possibility—power in how she moved her body through space, and possibility in how she dismantled and moved beyond institutional boundaries…”
The gorgeous issue will also pay homage to Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris’ historic win with reflections by five influential Black women: Donna Brazile, Leah Daughtry, Karen Finney, Star Jones and Minyon Moore. In addition, the issue features an interview with Barack Obama talking about his new book and journey as the nation’s first Black president. Plus, iconic actress Cicely Tyson shares an eye-opening excerpt from her new memoir.
For more on this issue, visit ESSENCE.com or pick up the January + February 2021 issue on newsstands next week. (Photographic Collages, Lorna Simpson)
If you haven’t seen the recent cover of the Vogue digital issue featuring Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris then you’re in for a special treat!
This was the first cover released and has sparked controversial reviews. Some readers adore the feature, showcasing the Madam VP as relatable, down to earth, and truly for the people of the United States.
Others, would’ve preferred to have seen her styled in a designer gown and no sneakers, grazing the cover like a woman of power!
Vogue critics have even gone as far to say that she did not receive the same level of prestige as the previous covers and argue that it is disrespectful.
Either way, we must not take away from the fact that Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has blazed a new trail that will be left in history books!
It’s stated in the article that set designer Julia Wagner selected the salmon pink and apple green brocade backdrop to pay homage to her beloved sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
What are your thoughts of the Vogue Kamala Harris cover? Share them in the comments section or on the SLF Facebook page.
Before the new year began, I hosted a television segment on ABC 3340 Talk of Alabama discussing how to dress for virtual meetings and events.
The work environment has changed and there are new office, fashion guidelines.
Let’s get ready to SHOW UP in 2021. It’s time to put away those sweatpants and slippers! Click on the link below to watch the segment clip: