Cutting a Rug...

...on roller skates!!!
I used to LOVE roller skating, but like many of you, I am sure, I fell off. No, I didn't, like, fall off of some roller skates - that would be totally trife and I was a damn good skater. I fell off the sport (which was trife as well). But I rekindled that love with a workout on wheels early this semester. See above flyness for proof - that's not some random outfit I thought up. It was an 80's birthday party and folks were SERIOUSLY decked out. I am talking Cyndi Lauper/Madonna skirts and sweatbands. These people were not playing games. And I found out it was 80's nearly 2 hours before the party so I promptly cut a sweatshirt and paired colored tights with tube socks. Hey, nobody said anything about cool 80's, as long as it was 80's, and my hair was on only one side of my head so that counts for something, right?

So, the verdict is in and roller skating is just as bangin' in '08 as it was in '88. I LOVE it all over again. Apparently, I am not alone, because there is an abundance of 40somethings that pop in there round midnight on Sundays and Sinful Thursdays skating backwards and freakin each other on custom skates. They ain't playin for a second. If you thought ATL or ROLL BOUNCE was a joke, they didn't. Trust. Oh, and enjoy this little gem from the same night:We are 80's divas.

What Could Be Better???

There are a few things I am obsessed with: music videos, movies, and MAGAZINES. I am mostly obsessed with the dramatic covers - I adore beautiful portraits, but I noticed in recent years that there are some really enlightening articles too :) My favorite of the fashion titles is Harper's Bazaar. They consistently make me drool over their fabulous cover women and the colors they choose to highlight them with. Some currently in my collection (yes, I keep them for years) are:














Surprising to some, I am SO not impressed with Vogue (hope that doesn't bite me in the ass one day, but it's true). I know they hold the rep as the world's leading fashion mag, but in reality, that's all that's gone. That dead rep was solidified with JHud's wide open mouth last year, not to mention what Andre Leon Talley did to her on the Oscars runway (my bad, Dre, but it's true). Must I remind:












(Not that I would ever hate on JHud. Congrats for putting a black woman on the cover, Vogue, but just because she is a singer, does not mean her mouth must be open at all times. Ugh. Vogue should know better.)

But 2 weeks ago, some credibility returned to Vogue in my eyes. I am an admirer of British magazines because their articles are usually pretty funny and there's just something classy about anything from the UK, so I pick them up when I can (I even like UK Elle). They cost a bit more here though. At my favorite magazine stand in LA, I came across something new that I HAD to have. I saw a beautiful brown woman on a Vogue Cover and discovered that it was the 2nd issue of VOGUE INDIA and I LOVE IT. Take it in below. It is both Beautiful and Monumental!

This edition - written in english - highlighted the enviable careers of 6 Indian fashionistas living the Manhattan life, Hillary Clinton's traveling chief of staff, Huma Abedine, international fashion trends, great online shopping sites, and of course a story on cover girl Deepika Padukone, a 21-year old Bollywood star.

an excerpt from Vogue's website:

"Vogue's launch in India symbolizes India's arrival onto the global fashion scene," says Priya Tanna, editor of Vogue India. "India is ready for a magazine that is intelligent, sophisticated, and that understands the stylish, modern woman. Every issue will celebrate the women who define and influence the new Indian modernity with grace, style and achievement. We want our highly anticipated readers to fall in love with fashion, beauty, and celebrate their own personal style."

Vogue India speaks to women all over the world, covering India as a major fashion hub and exploring the lives of Indian women living conquering fashion in all countries. I think the magazine and its presence in the US is a huge milestone in sharing cultural influence with the fashion obsessed here. Of course, it's expensive more to pick this mag up in the states (mine was $11.99), but this is history, folks! Fashion history!

Also, this week Tia (come on, if you haven't heard of Shake Your Beauty by now, What Are You Doing!?) was covering NY Fashion Week for Fashion Week Daily and she noticed an influx of black models on the runway. Stereohyped highlighted the event as well. It seems like brown girls are running things! - sort of :)

Congrats to Vogue India and NY Fashion Week!