BLACK DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW: MIMI PLANGE

Mimi Plange (center)

Not many designers gain the attention of fashion's elite and have legendary Vogue editor,

 Andre Leon Talley edit your fall/winter line, but this young lady has!

Meet Black designer, Mimi Plange!

Mimi Plange with Vogue editor, Andre Leon Talley

 After attending UC Berkeley and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, with $400 and her dreams, Ghanaian-born Plange took off for New York to make those dreams come true! Now after 9 years of working in the industry and paying her dues, Plange is launching her namesake collection!

With the likes of Janelle Monae and Rihanna as fans, and an upcoming spring 2012 shoe collaboration with Manolo Blahnik, this young lady is definitely making her mark in the fashion world!

Find out more! Google "Mimi Plange"!

 

 

 

 Plange received her inspiration for her fall/winter line from the textural elements of the

 ancient practice of tribal scarification.

 

Inspiration for this blog: "One to Watch", Essence Magazine, September, 2011 issue

Queen Latifah Debuting New Fashion Line on HSN

Hip hop legend, actress, and Cover Girl spokesmodel, Queen Latifah has added fashion designer to her list of achievements! She recently announced that her own clothing line, appropriately called "The Queen Collection", will debut on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) on August 27th of this year. Designed for women
sizes 2-25, the line promises beautiful, fly clothing we'll all want to wear
no matter what size we are! 

Most clothing in the collection will cost under $100 with handbag pricing between $170-$300. And, if you need some hair extensions so your hair can look hot and compliment your fly outfits, you'll be able to purchase that too! So make sure you check out HSN on August 27th for "The Queen Collection" debut and let me know what you think!

I'm Feeling...JustFab.com!

Shopping online is getting easier, more efficient, and more fun than ever before! Today, even fashionistas on a budget can have a personal shopper select gear, footwear and accessories for them that suits their very own personal style without even leaving the comfort of their homes or offices! One such site, for the shoe and handbag fashionista, is JustFab.com! Here's how it works!

Go to http://www.justfab.com and join for free! Then you will be directed to take a fashion personality quiz where you will answer a few questions about your style preferences. The JustFab style experts will then review your responses to the questions you answered and use them to put together a collection of hot shoes and handbags that fit your fashion preferences each month. You decide what styles to purchase for $39.95 each from your selections for the month, and shipping is FREE! How hot is that!!!

Check out this short commercial for JustFab.com to find out more and then check out the site for yourself! At $39.95 for all this, I don't think you can go wrong!

*Note: If you try out JustFab.com, please drop me a message at sonjal@sonikaimaging.com and tell me about your experience! Peace!

Do you know these African-American Shoe Designers?



Natischa Harvey



Yesterday while tweeting, I saw a very interesting tweet from The Atlanta Post about an article on their website entitled, "9 African-American Shoe Designers You Should Know". Curious, I followed the link and after reading this great article, knew I wanted to share it with you! So, click this link

http://atlantapost.com/2011/02/25/9-african-american-shoe-designers-you-should-know/

and get familiar with these African-American shoe designers who are definitely making their mark in the fashion industry and lovin' it!

Samanta Joseph

Shane and Shawn Ward

Charles Turner

   

Tracy Reese

Kris Wright



Asjha Jones





Vanessa and Angela Simmons

Candra Palmer

Do some homework! Research and find out more about African-Americans in the fashion industry! Share what you learn through your own blogs, tweets, posts on social networking sites, etc.! Peace!

Buy Designer Styles Right Off The Runway



With the ever increasing power of the internet, so many things are accessible to us right from the comfort of our homes! With the launch of a new site this month called Moda Operandi, shoppers, just like you and me, will be able to place orders for styles that only 48 hours ago, or less, were on the runway! Dozens of collections from high-end designers will be available like Vera Wang, Giambattista Valli, and more. The site will start off offering 4 women's collections from about 50 designers per year. During the rest of the year, the site will sell jewelry and accessories. The genius behind Moda Operandi is former head of merchandising for Gilt Noir, Aslaug Magnusdottir.

To be able to take advantage of this exclusive shopping experience, you must visit the site at http://www.modaoperandi.com/ and apply for membership. Once you are a member, you can login to the site, shop, and place your order with a 50% deposit. Your clothes will be manufactured and shipped within 4 months. And ladies, don't worry! There is a return policy!

I don't know, realistically, how appealing this site will be to the average fashionista, but to the high-end consumer, it's appeal is obvious! Just think! With your Moda Operandi membership, every week can be Fashion Week, and you'll always have a front row seat!

Some info from InStyle, Feb. 2011; Wall Street Journal/Fashion, Dec. 2010