Fun Fashion Friday

It's 'Fun Fashion Friday'! In these posts I will bring you the playful side of fashion. Fashion doesn't always have to be so serious. I am a big fan of really funky, fun pieces. I admit to loving my fun or bizarre items more than the classic ones; even if some of my friends hate and make fun of them. After all, fashion is about self expression and SHOULD BE fun.

Hilary Banks Part 2
 Yesterday Christina talked about Hilary Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Today I add my two scents. In the 90s she was a personal style icon to me. I was in middle school for most of the show but I was very aware of fashion. I was trying my hardest not to wear anything twice in a school year and I mostly succeeded. Those were the days when my mom and I bonded by spending Saturdays shopping for the coming week. It was nothing too expensive, remember Ten Below clothing stores and Lerner New York before it became New York & Company? I remember using her style as inspiration. She and an acquaintance of mine contributed to my love of hats. If you follow me on instagram, I am in a hat in half of my photos. I remember how coordinated Hilary always was. She had a matching hat, handbag and shoes for just about every outfit. She was always shopping. She would come into the house after a serious shopping binge and ask for more money for a new hat.

Hilary Banks Moments On Tees

Wear a moment from the show on your chest from these two online shops! I love Rage On's collage tees and this one is a true homage to the pampered money loving Hilary Banks. She loved spending daddy's money to keep her appearance flawless, making the lipstick, cash and credit card behind her image so appropriate. If this tee is a little busy for you, the Memo Apparel tee with her wearing the cutest cut-out shoulder outfit is the way to go. She is still doing what she does best, "primping".  She is polishing her nails as she shoots off one of her honest but mean girl phrases.

Shop This Tee

Shop This Tee

For my true fashionistas, now it's time to shop her style. We know Hilary for her hats but Hilary also loved her color-block looks. In the 90s color-blocking was so in and she wore a lot of it. Her wardrobe was full of suits, sweaters, dresses and hats that featured color-block designs. When she wasn't in full on color-block looks and hats, she was usually going on a date or someplace cool like the Playboy Mansion. She would throw on a little black or red dress and kept it simple by wearing one color.  It is so easy to do that with black but I wondered how she could match a red dress, shoes and a bag so perfectly. That is a skill! Well, maybe not if you have the help of Philip Banks money. Well, I did my best to bring you the most Hilary Banks worthy looks. I curated all three looks using items from the etsy community. Shop if you must or use the looks for inspiration.

Hilary was not afraid of bright colors, in fact she wore a few at a time often. Though some of the looks were a little loud for some people, she was always polished and ladylike. Her style was bold, fun yet feminine. She added ladylike touches like brooches, flowers and pearls. She was also a fan of strappy pumps.  

Shop The Look

Vintage YSL Jacket

Pants

Pearls

Earrings

Charles Jourdan Heels
Hat

Shop The Look

Blazer

Pencil Skirt
Camisole
Hat 
Vintage Chanel Bag
Stuart Weitzman Heels 
Brooch 
 Necklace
Earrings

 

Shop This Look

Dress

Choker

Gucci Heels

Earrings
Clutch


This is a middle school look inspired by Hilary. I was so in love with this violet hat and pants suit as you can see from the cheesy smile on my face. I thought I was Kristin Hilary Banks.

Thank you for checking out today's Fun Fashion Friday! I hope you enjoyed the Hilary Banks looks. Next week we will be posting a new character from Black Television past.
 Hint: She was a true class act and had a high pitched little voice.

Be blessed! Be free! Be fashionable!
Kris,


 

Style Crush: Black History Month Edition

For me black history month is not only about remembering important people and events from our history, but also celebrating important people of today. This month's series of Style Crush will feature Black Fashion Stylists. As much as I adore June Ambrose, there are so many other talented stylists in the industry, who work extremely hard, but are more behind the scenes. 

I chose to spotlight Fashion Stylists because more often than not, they get overshadowed by designers or the client they are styling. The stylist is so key because they get the designer's collections to the public, they create an image for music artists, the stylist takes a concept and turns it into a look for magazines, fashion shows, etc. and 9 times out of 10 they also do some sewing and other tricks to prevent wardrobe malfunctions. Fashion styling is very near and dear to my heart, it was a dream of mine to become a stylist, and with lots of hard work, ChristinaKristin has had some awesome opportunities with styling. As a bonus I will feature our work at the end of the series. If you missed the first and second  posts in this series find them here and here!

Ugo Mozie

Photo Credit: www.swaggernewyork.com

Today I chose to spotlight a young man who is deemed one of the hottest stylist around. At just 22 years old he has definitely made his mark in the fashion industry. I have been following his work for about a year now,  and he is super talented. At his young age he has already debuted a fashion line and his clientele has included international super stars from Justin Beiber to Larry King. He is most known for his eclectic and androgynous style. He has touched many projects from the Oscar Awards, Sex and the City 2, Vogue, Elle, GQ magazine and much more. Mozie is of Nigerian descent moving to the states at the age of 3, he credits him being born in Africa as a major influence of his work. See his talent for yourself. For more information on Mr. Mozie check out his website www.ugomozie.com , his instagram which I follow myself is @ugomozie.

Photo Credit: ugomozie.tumblr.com

Photo Credit: ugomozie.tumblr.com

Stop by tomorrow to see the ChristinaKristin spotlight!

Until Next Time,

*Chris*

Style Crush: Black History Month Edition

For me black history month is not only about remembering important people and events from our history, but also celebrating important people of today. This month's series of Style Crush will feature Black Fashion Stylists. As much as I adore June Ambrose, there are so many other talented stylists in the industry, who work extremely hard, but are more behind the scenes. 

I chose to spotlight Fashion Stylists because more often than not, they get overshadowed by designers or the client they are styling. The stylist is so key because they get the designer's collections to the public, they create an image for music artists, the stylist takes a concept and turns it into a look for magazines, fashion shows, etc. and 9 times out of 10 they also do some sewing and other tricks to prevent wardrobe malfunctions. Fashion styling is very near and dear to my heart, it was a dream of mine to become a stylist, and with lots of hard work, ChristinaKristin has had some awesome opportunities with styling. As a bonus I will feature our work at the end of the series. Alright, so get ready for some serious style in this series over the next 2 weeks.

First up is:

Ty Hunter

Photo Credit: www.jetmag.com

This stylish gentleman is stylist to the world's most recognized soul/pop vocalist, Mrs. Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Yes, he is responsible for the fierce style she displays every time we see her. He came from humble beginnings, he was working at a trendy boutique called Bui-Ya-Kah in Houston, Texas, he assisted customers including Tina Knowles. During his time at the boutique he would put aside clothes for a local group known as Destiny's Child. One day he called Ms. Knowles (Tina), the groups head stylist and asked if she needed a hand and the rest is history.

I took some excerpts from an interview Ty did on examiner.com, I will put the link at the end of this post.

Did you ever imagine you would be where you are now? What were your plans as a child for your future?

- I was always into fashion growing up. My Mom would always ask me my opinion on what she should wear when I was growing up. I was voted best dressed a lot in middle and high school. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be where I am today. There weren’t a lot of celebrities coming out of Texas growing up.

I was informed that you got your start off of a whim with an encounter with Beyonce’s mom, please expand on this. What were your thoughts at this time, and what made you decide to stick with it?

- I was doing Visual Merchandising at boutiques in Houston, TX, and Miss Tina would come in and shop for the four girl’s of Destiny’s Child. She would always come in asking me for my opinion. The girl’s would all come in by themselves to shop. I met Michelle first, then Kelly and lastly Bey. None of them knew we all knew each other. So, one day Miss Tina told me, “I’m gonna get you out of here.” And two weeks later I was at the Grammy’s, and the rest was history.

What advice do you have for those looking to get into the fashion industry? When is the best time to start?

- My thing is to really believe in yourself. Do not let your environment keep you from doing what you want to do. I never thought a little boy from Texas would be styling one of the biggest pop groups and stars in the world.

What an inspiring story!!! Now on to the style...

Photo Credit: www.necolebitchie.com

Photo Credit: www.bgclive.com

Photo Credit: www.idyck.com

For the full interview go to: www.examiner.com

Until Next Time,

*Chris*

Fun Fashion Friday!!!

A BLACK HISTORY MONTH EDITION

It's 'Fun Fashion Friday'! In these posts I will bring you the playful side of fashion. Fashion doesn't always have to be so serious. I am a big fan of really funky, fun pieces. I admit to loving my fun or bizarre items more than the classic ones; even if some of my friends hate and make fun of them. After all, fashion is about self expression and SHOULD BE fun.

THE BOMBSHELL, THE SONGSTRESS & THE SHOW

 When I was in high school, I remember looking for tees with beautiful black icons. There were after all, plenty of tees with the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn. While I thought they were both very beautiful women, I did not want to wear them on my chest. I wanted a t-shirt with someone of my likeness; someone like Josephine Baker or Dorothy Dandridge. Baker and Dandridge were just as beautiful as their counterparts but were not represented at all in retail. Matter of fact, there were no black icons represented much of anywhere. If I were the wiser then; I would have figured out a way to change the situation seventeen years ago.  Luckily, with the web we all have access to unlimited possibilities. Artists and designers have a place to sale their pieces to people all over the world. That includes those artists/designers that I have featured in this post. They are black artists/designers who create pieces representing black icons and reminders of black history. 

Accidental Genius Clothing

(My Favorite New Tee!)

 

The end of last year, I discovered a designer on instagram who creates just the kind of shirt I wanted as a teenager. I own three of his shirts which feature icons like: Grace Jones, Jasmine Guy as Whitley Gilbert and Pam Grier. I have worn my Grace Jones tee and Whitley Gilbert in closet posts on the blog. While there are others who produce similar shirts; no one offers the colors or the pizazz that Accidental Genius Clothing does with his shirts. My tees are now out of stock but there are always plenty of options. He keeps the site fresh with new tees every couple months and there is almost always some sort of promotion running. I selected some of the tees I love that are currently available. For those who missed the Accidental Genius tees I've worn in previous posts, I have included some photos below.

1. The Prototype II Tee (Clair Huxtable/Phylicia Rashad) $27
2. The Lena II $27  
3. The Dandridge 4 $27
4. Bougie III (Billie Holiday) $27

My Tees by Accidental Genius Clothing 

Musical Icons, Iconic Movies & Shows

I am a fan of etsy and instagram because they are both great online sources to find unique items. I can't tell you how many of my favorite pieces were discovered on social media or on etsy. These are also the items that I get the most compliments on because they aren't pieces that can be found at the mall. Since I am above keeping things I love and stalk a secret; I just had to include these two designers in this post. 

 

On etsy among so many designers/artists of many medias; you will find Luxor Couture. This shop is full of black images and African inspired pieces. The selection is small so I suggest a visit to their actual website. It isn't a visually stimulating site once you get to the product section but the variety is immense. I have included links to etsy and the company website below.  I love their earrings featuring artists like Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill (featured below).

I have been stalking this Siamaise website for weeks now. The brand creates fun pieces that remind us of a time when there was great black programing and thought provoking black films. While very entertaining; we are so bombarded with reality programs full of women beating each other up physically and mentally or programs with brilliant writing and strong characters who have seriously dysfunctional relationships. These earrings are cool and fun but they offer great reminders of positive shows like 'The Fresh Price' and 'A Different World' (featured below). My favorite designs are 'Do The Right Thing'(featured below) and the 'In Living Color' pair. You must check out the website for the selection.

1. Erykah Badu earrings by Luxor Couture $15

2. A Different World earrings by Siamaise $22.80

3. Do The Right Thing earrings by Siamaise $40

4. Lauryn Hill earrings By Luxor Couture $18

More Luxor Couture

I hope you will support these small businesses this month and beyond. They are doing something truly special. Thank you for stopping by! 

Until next time.

Be Blessed! Be Free! Be Fashionable!

Kris,