Tag: fashion

Accessories /

Women’s Summer Fashion Guide: Stay Up-To-Date on The Latest Trends

As a woman, you are probably wondering what you are going to wear this summer to stay up-to-date with all of the latest trends. It can be overwhelming trying to keep up with the rapidly changing world of fashion. This is especially true if you are like most women nowadays and have to work full-time. That’s why we put together this great list of summer fashion trends for 2020.

Featured Photo from The Fashion Spot

Summer Fashion Basics

When you are trying to predict what the next big trends are going to be, there are a few places you are going to need to look. You can look at what the latest runway shows have displayed, you can look at what has been popular in current fashion magazines, and you can look at online boutiques and stores to get ideas. For example, if you are looking for dresses for women, you can search hypeach.com to get some fashionable ideas. You will be able to find clothing to keep you in style all through the hot summer months.

This year, there has been a strong trend towards some new styles that haven’t been seen for a long time. Let’s get to it and go over what the top trends will be this summer.

Women’s Summer Fashion Trends For This Year

This year’s trends are a little different from last year, but many of them will carry over. We have seen a few reintroductions from nearly one hundred years ago with some styles making a come back that were popular in the 30s and 40s. There are also a few trends that appear to be fairly unique and maybe appearing on the scene for the first time ever. Here are five of the biggest trends that will be seen this year in women’s fashion over the summer.

Puffy Sleeves 

This is an exciting sight to see. A fashion trend that was originally popular in the 1930s has been making headways among the women of the nation this year. Although it is not new on the scene and has been popular for a little while, it is still trendy and should continue to be so throughout the majority of the summer. It would be a safe move to purchase a few new tops that have the puffy sleeves look.

Professional Summer Wear

Professional summer wear is going to be one of the biggest trends this summer. This is the type of clothing that is going to help you look your best, but people will still take you seriously. One of the biggest trendsetters in this area has been the introduction of some new and absolutely fabulous sports-type jackets. These jackets will have you looking absolutely sharp but also intelligent and respectable.

Stylish Sunglasses 

A throwback to the 80s, stylish sunglasses, such as Arabians, have been making a huge comeback in recent months. This bodes well for the fashion trend this summer as people are starting to gear up for some time outside under the sun and will definitely need to protect their eyes while looking stylish. Why not go ahead and get yourself a pair of sunglasses and make a fashion statement out of it by getting a pair that matches the rest of your outfit?

Genuine Snakeskin 

According to Marie Claire, one of the most shocking introductions on the scene in terms of women’s summer fashion trends is the recent fascination of snakeskin apparel. This is not faux snakeskin, but the real genuine snakeskin. Women are starting to wear boots and other footwear that is made of snakeskin and even carry handbags that have been made with this unique type of leather. This is something fairly new and it is actually pretty exciting. You can match it with some of your other leather clothing or mix it up and do something totally random. The choice is yours.

Trendy Trenchcoats 

Finally, the last big fashion trend for the summer has been all of the stylish and trendy trenchcoats that you have been seeing while you are out and about. You are going to need to be careful while selecting a trenchcoat for the summertime. Make sure you buy one that is breathable and easy to wear. Make sure that it is going to be comfortable to wear during the heat of the day before you make a final purchase decision.

These are just a few ideas for the summer of 2020. Watch people who know how to put different styles together and follow their example.

Collaborative Post

Beauty /

Lifestyle Update: Work From Home Starter Kit #Coronavirus

Owning a face mask has become a staple in everyone’s home.  Honestly, if you think about it how many times have we needed a face mask?

When we’re walking through the airport.  During the cold and flu season.  After giving birth to a newborn baby.  There have been several instances in our lives when we needed to protect ourselves or someone else.

This surgical mask has now sparked a surge of inspiration amongst the creative community!

Artists and designers are using their skills and designing “fancy” face masks.

Featured Photo from MSN.com

Something that started as a medical necessity is now multi-purpose; one for protection and the other for style.

With that being said, many of us are working from home to protect ourselves from the Coronavirus.

This sudden change has made us alter our schedule and clothing selections.  Many are logging into meetings while juggling the demands of home.

Luckily, we can join meetings while lounging in our slippers!

Work From Home Starter Kit
Jumpsuit

 

 

Essential Oils
Slippers
Face Mask

If you like this post click here:  Homebound Survival Tips

Accessories /

Homebound Survival Tips: Snakeskin Trendy Accessories #WIW or #OOTD

The last few weeks have been interesting.  Our nation was called to a state of an emergency due to the Coronavirus.  None of us anticipated being in our homes 24 Hours straight; let alone unable to shop for ordinary household items.

This has definitely a time period to reflect upon your priorities and not take simple things for granted.

How are we all surviving?  Some of us are keeping a positive mindset while others are missing the days of careless walks down the street.

Either way, there are moments in our life when we may have to stay home for extended periods of time.

When you have a baby, the doctor might prescribe being home consistently for a week.  When we’re suffering from an illness, depending on the severity, there could be much-needed time at home.

Take a look at the tips for surviving the highs and lows of being homebound.  If you can think of anything else, please share it with this site.

Homebound Survival Tips:

  1. Order groceries online from stores such as Amazon, Aldi, or Publix.
  2. Create menus for your family.  The reality is that we have to eat!
  3. Schedule time periods to watch the news; either morning or night.
  4. Video chat, text, or start a group communication channel.
  5. Gift little kids’ toys during peak time periods when they may become restless.
  6. Cut-back on normal portion sizes on items.  For example, if you would normally use 2 tbsp of coffee grinds use 1 tbsp.
  7. Find unconventional ways to use items.  An egg carton could hold craft paint or beads.
  8. Read inspirational books and incorporate prayer into your daily routine.
What I Wore or Outfit of The Day

In the photo below, I’m returning to my desk after a meeting.  This was taken weeks before we were quarantined to be in our homes!

I want to encourage fashionista’s to mix trendy accessories with your classic wardrobe.  This is a simple way to refresh your outfits and get a new look!

Snakeskin Booties:  JCPenney | Belt:  Express | Blazer:  H&M

If you like this post click here:  QUARANTINED BEAUTY ROUTINE: HOW TO REMOVE DIPPING POWDER OR GEL POLISH

Accessories /

Faux Fur Jacket and Seamless Fleece Leggings: #WIW or #OOTD College Alumni Mixer Event

There’s something about getting a bit older that makes you become sentimental.  You began to reminisce about the carefree days of hanging out with your best college crew!

Those days involved hitting the laundry mat, unsolicited dating advice, and last-minute cramming.  To help us stay better connected the alumni group hosted a pop-up event.  As always, I didn’t know what to wear because I was getting over a cold and had a busy consulting week.

The Furget Me Not Jacket I’m seen in is from Zeal Boutique; it was purchased while attending another event.  Don’t be misguided, it’s actually one of the warmest jackets in my wardrobe!  The texture is soft like a blanket and the outer fridge adds a touch of style.

Again, the goal was to stay warm, so I ordered a pair of fleece-lined leggings, draped camisole, and wore my snakeskin booties.

We had a great night and my outfit was fashionable and functional.  Yes, I have several maroon pieces because it’s the colors of my alma mater.

Faux Fur Jacket:  similar | Cami Top:  Amazon | Seamless Fleece Leggings:  Amazon | Snakeskin Booties:  similar

Accessories /

Hadiya Williams Handcrafted Graphics, Designs, & Jewelry Rooted In Bold African Diaspora

Hadiya Williams – emerging artist and owner of Black Pepper Paperie Co., – a Washington, DC-based mix-media art + design studio and lifestyle brand that focuses on creating globally inspired, one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces to include wearable ceramic art, home decor, paper goods, and apparel. These ancestral modern pieces are rooted in memory and cultural influences from across the African diaspora, and I am sure they’d be of interest to your readers!

Additionally, Hadiya Williams’s graphic design work received national attention as she recently partnered with Best Buy for their Black History Month campaign “Write the Next Chapter.” It ran for the month of February.

In addition to her mixed media and graphic design work, Hadiya has done work with non-profit organizations in the Greater Washington, DC area serving families in marginalized communities throughout the city for the past 15 years. In her free time, she has also functioned as an art director & designer for special events, weddings, and small gatherings. Her ultimate goal is to create work that transforms spaces and helps people celebrate life’s most important moments. Her style is bold and all her own.

Accessories /

Tina Knowles Seen In Bespoke Power Suit: Ghanaian Fashion Brand Christie Brown

Beyonce’s Mom, Miss Tina Knowles Lawson, took Instagram by storm in this bespoke power suit by Ghanaian fashion brand Christie Brown.

Christie Brown (CB)  takes great pride in how it develops traditional African fabrics into contemporary garments without downplaying their African roots.

With a diverse range of clientele including the backup singers of Award-winning pop-singer Beyoncé Knowles Carter, Stylist; TY Hunter, Beauty Queen, Menaye Donkor, OAP, Nikki Sammonas, Berla Mundi, Makeup Artist, Sandra Don-Arthur and some of Ghana’s most iconic women, CB is and has always been show-stopping.  The brand won the Emerging Designer of the Year Award in 2009 at the Arise Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg; to being the only Ghanaian label showcased at the Arise L’Afrique-A-Porter in Paris Fashion Week in March 2010. It has also received several features and media mentions in Teen Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue Italia, Canoe 53 and Glamour Magazine.

 

Fashion /

Pantone Introduces 315 New Colors + New Digital Solutions for Fashion, Home + Interiors

Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color tools for designers, today introduced 315 new colors and new supporting digital solutions to the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System.

Refreshed and restyled for greater utility, Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors combines the industry’s most relevant color palette with new digital solutions that streamline your digital and physical color workflow. Newly arranged by color family, it’s now easier and more intuitive to find the perfect shade and includes additions in every color, including over 70 new hues of blue and 50 new shades of pink.

With color being a more important aspect of lifestyle today, our new palette was strategically selected to reflect current and future color influences across fashion, home furnishings, and product design, along with the Pantone Color Institute’s trend forecasting, color intelligence, and consumer and client color research. These tools across Pantone guided the expansion and enhancement of the new color offering.

The Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors product suite has helped designers around the globe creating a product for fashion and home furnishings and the related product markets (i.e. footwear, activewear, cosmetics, accessories, hard home) use the color language to select, communicate and control color throughout the design process. Additional updates to the system include:

  • An all-new layout that is refreshed, restyled and absolutely required for today’s designer. The new Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors formats have been redesigned to best meet the color needs of designers while streamlining digital and physical color workflow. Each of the new Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors cotton and paper formats have been refreshed, restyled and redesigned to make the color selection process more intuitive. Featuring a palette of 2,625 colors arranged by color family, designers can now find that right color, shade, and tone faster than ever. Increasing the utility of the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors products enables designers to more quickly turn inspiration into product reality.
  • Brand new colors that empower a greater range of expression. The release includes the addition of a brand-new collection of 315 new colors to the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors cotton and paper formats. With color being more important to every aspect of lifestyle today, these new colors have been strategically selected to reflect current and future color influences across fashion, home furnishings, interior, and product design worldwide.
  • New design technologies that enable new color innovations. Having digital access to each of Pantone’s 2,625 colors enables designers to seamlessly streamline digital and physical workflows. Spectral data support ensures fast turnaround and accurate, on-schedule production.

“The colors that are influencing design today have evolved to reflect shifting societal views, new technological innovations, and a truly global outlook,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “With the ability to interpret the influence of color on overall consumer psychology, we have enhanced the utility of our Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Color System with this new collection of engaging hues, enabling the design community to stay on the cutting edge of color selection.”

When paired with the new physical color offering, software and mobile apps from Pantone enable seamless integration between digital and physical workflows, increasing efficiency (or saving time and money) by streamlining the color development process and ensuring color accuracy through quality control and on-schedule production. Pantone Connect, a color library, and palette management ecosystem, can be integrated directly within design tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to provide final delivery of color into design files. Each of the colors in the Pantone Fashion, Home + Interiors Library is supported by spectral data in both QTX and CXF format, further accelerating product speed to market and providing quick access to other color values including RGB and L*a*b*.

“As a global color authority for almost 60 years, designers look to Pantone to meet their color needs; from having the exact right color palette that will engage and entice their audience to providing efficient solutions that will help them reliably reproduce these colors in their designs,” said Laurie Pressman, Vice President, Pantone Color Institute.

“Expanding and enhancing our color palette and introducing new digital solutions ensures our design clients that they can continue to count on Pantone today and into the future, helping them to transform their creative vision into reality.”

For more information visit Pantone online at pantone.com.

About Pantone

Pantone provides a universal language of color that enables color-critical decisions through every stage of the workflow for brands and manufacturers. More than 10 million designers and producers around the world rely on Pantone products and services to help define, communicate and control color from inspiration to realization – leveraging advanced X-Rite technology to achieve color consistency across various materials and finishes for graphics, fashion, and product design. Pantone Standards feature digital and physical color specification and workflow tools. The Pantone Color Institute™ provides customized color standards, brand identity and product color consulting as well as trend forecasting inclusive of Pantone Color of the Year, Fashion Runway Color Trend Reports, color psychology and more. Pantone B2B Licensing incorporates the Pantone Color System into different products and services, enabling licensees to communicate and reproduce approved Pantone values and improve efficiencies for their users. Pantone Lifestyle brings color and design together across apparel, home, and accessories. Connect with Pantone on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn.

About X-Rite

Founded in 1958, X-Rite Incorporated is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. With Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite offers a full range of solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color and appearance throughout their processes. X-Rite products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com. For the latest news, information, connect with X-Rite on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

 

Accessories /

Style 101: Dress According To Your Profession #OOTD or #WIW

As a creative professional, I am often called into meetings that require a stylish flair.  Long gone are the days of wearing the boring, basic black suit.  In this day and age, women are seen wearing pink pencil skirts and vinyl pointy heels.

Back to the post!  I was scheduled for a consultation and needed an upbeat look.  One way to achieve a fashionable but yet professional outfit is to pair traditional clothing pieces with an on-trend pattern or accessory.  For example, wear a striped blazer with a lace camisole.

In the look below, I’m wearing a leopard button-down blouse, high-waisted dress pants, and denim jacket.  To elevate this outfit, I wore my favorite tassel earrings.

Style 101:  Dress according to your individualized profession!

A few additional stylish business dress tips include:

  1.  Wear a wrap dress.
  2.  Select blazers in bold colors or neutral tones such as camel or red.
  3. Purchase a crisp white shirt but select various styles such as puff sleeves.
  4. Great professional accessories include wearing a logo belt or a vintage scarf.
  5. Keep up with the time by wearing a statement watch.

Denim Jacket:  America’s Consignment and Thrift | Leopard Shirt & Tassel Earrings:  Express | Crossbody Handbag:  Louis Vuitton similar

If you like this post click here:  TENTH STREET TRIPOLI FISHERMAN HAT: CASUAL SHOPPING OUTFIT

 

Accessories /

February Fab Finds Checklist: Pastel Suits, Asymmetrical Shawl, Plaid Dress, and Leather Pants

Real fashion starts on the streets.  To better explain, there’s something about a woman that can mix pieces in her closet and create a magazine-worthy look.

Having a great sense of style doesn’t require an endless bank account.  It’s merely training the eye to select quality clothing and accessories.

Die-hard fashionista’s share endless wardrobe inspiration on both Instagram and Pinterest.

Entertainment /

ESSENCE CONTINUES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF GRAMMY-AWARD WINNING MEGASTAR AND FIRST-TIME FESTIVAL PERFORMER BRUNO MARS

ESSENCE, the number one media, technology and commerce company dedicated to Black women globally, is continuing the year-long celebration of its 50th anniversary with the announcement of GRAMMY-award winning artists Bruno Mars and Janet Jackson as mainstage headliners for the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola. This will be the first-ever ESSENCE Festival appearance and the only 2020 U.S. festival performance for Mars, a celebrated singer, songwriter, producer and musician who has sold over 200 million singles worldwide. Jackson’s performance will mark her third appearance at the Festival, which will take place during her newly-announced Black Diamond World Tour.

“This is a milestone year for ESSENCE and our community as we celebrate 50 years of creating opportunities for our culture to shine and the role of Black women in making it possible for us to do what no other brand has done,” said Michelle Ebanks, CEO of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. “To be able to say that at 50 years, we are Black-owned, diversified across media, technology, commerce and live events, and impacting our culture in new and even deeper ways than ever before is a blessing – and one that comes with a tremendous responsibility to our community to continue to evolve, innovate and transform. That remains our focus and commitment as we work to ensure that we are here serving Black women deeply and advancing Black culture, economic ownership and inclusion globally for the next 50 years.”

Ebanks continued, “In this celebration year, ESSENCE could not be more excited to welcome Bruno Mars for the first time and to have Janet Jackson return to headline the mainstage during the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture. These two powerhouses, along with our robust slate of programming, performances and tributes, will continue our legacy of cultural excellence and dynamic, only-at-ESSENCE experiences that excite, elevate and inspire. To Bruno, Janet and all our ESSENCE Festival artists we say, ‘Welcome home.’”

As the world’s largest cultural, music, entertainment and empowerment experience and the global epicenter of Black culture, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has created a home for Black artists and communities around the world for 26 years and routinely attracts more than half a million international attendees over July 4th weekend. In honor of the brand’s 50th anniversary and marking one day for each decade, the Festival will be extended for the first time from three

days to five days and will take place July 1-5 in New Orleans, LA.  This year’s theme, “Own Our Power,” will be at the center of performances, conversations and activations that span arts, entertainment, music, beauty, fashion, technology, film, food, wellness, advocacy, civic engagement, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

The Festival’s three-night concert series at the Louisiana Superdome—featuring an eclectic global mix of R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggaeton, Afrobeats and more—includes:

Mainstage:

Bruno Mars, Janet Jackson (headliners); Ari Lennox; Janelle Monae; Patti LaBelle; Raphael Saadiq (Performing songs across his entire career from Tony! Toni! Tone! through his solo albums, including Jimmy Lee); Estelle Presents Reggae & Afrobeats Link Up featuring Afro B, Chronnix, Elephant Man, Kranium, Max Glazer, Maxi Priest, Shenseea and more; Summer Walker; Swizz Beatz Presents In the Zone featuring guest artists; and more. Hosted by Loni Love. Music by D-Nice. In addition, the Mainstage will feature rousing tributes to music icons each night, including a special anniversary celebration on July 4th. 

 

Superlounges:

Casmé, D Smoke; Demi Grace; Doug E. Fresh Presents The Real Hip-Hop and R&B Party; Elah Hale; Goldlink; Jac Ross; Jamesdavis; Jidenna; June’s Diary; Kiana Lede; Kitty Cash; Leikeli47; Masego; Mr Eazi; Oswin Benjamin; Rapsody; Saweetie; SiR; Smino; Stokley; Tamia; Tank and the Bangas; Teamarrr; The New Respects; Umi.

Weekend ticket packages are on sale now with prices starting at $180. For information about ticket sales, accommodations recently launched exhibitor applications and VIP travel packages,  and the latest news about the ESSENCE Festival of Culture,  visit Essence.com/festival. Join the festival community: Follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of Festival on Facebook.

Sponsors for the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ include Coca-Cola and State Farm. The ESSENCE Festival is produced by ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

 

Additional details for ESSENCE 50th Anniversary celebration activities throughout the year will be announced soon.