This Is What 50 Looks Like // Veronica Webb

I'd like to give a slow clap to the gorgeous Veronica Webb for continuing to slay as she celebrates a milestone birthday. Emoting a strong and confident woman in an afro and feminine clothing, Webb fronts Sophie Theallet Spring 2016 campaign photographed by Tiziano Magni.

 

Styled by Jenke Tailly; Hair by Leonardo Manetti; Make-up by Daniel Martin

SMITTEN WITH ...Papercutter Catherine Winkler Rayroud

Catherine Winkler Rayroud has perfected the art of papercutting. With 30 years of creating intricate paper pieces under her belt, this Swiss born femme fatale is quite the scissorhand (sorry bad pun). Her work which has been showcased around the world has landed her many awards and accolades varying from 'Honorable Mention' to 'Best in Show.' Now based in Houston, Winkler continues to delight with masterpieces with works such as these lingerie pieces and accessories that inspire fans local and abroad. She's clearly a cut above the rest!

PHOTOS FROM CATHERINEWINKLERRAYOUD.COM

Me and 'My Adidas'

With all these Adidas collaborations going on, the latest being the already sold-out Kanye West Yeezy Boosts, I fell victim to my own peer pressure to have a another piece of the legendary brand. No I didn't pay $350 for Kanye's below. I put down $90 for something more original and classic — The Adidas Superstars!

You know them oh too well. White shell toe with an all leather upper, a non-scuffing rubber sole and  three glorious stripes. The shoe available in low and hightop versions was and is the epitome of classic cool. Launched in 1969 and marketed to basketball players throughout the 70s, the shoe quickly monopolized the league. By end of end of the decade, 75% of the NBA teams were playing in  the performance lines. 

And then ...drum roll ... RUN DMC, who wore the shoes with the tongues out, rapped about them in their 1986 song "My Adidas," as a rebuttal to the haters who weren't feeling the urban look that involved Adidas gear, Kangos and gold chains. One song and thousands of followers later, the Superstars became a household accessory. The group eventually signed a $1 million dollar endorsement deal (though that wasn't the case at first) and the rest is history. 

To read more about others who played a significant role in the lines history check out High Snobiety. For insider info regarding new Superstar collabs join the Adidas Superstar Facebook page. In the meantime, I'm gonna throw on my track jacket, put in some big gold hoops and rock 'My Adidas' literally and figuratively. 

Bloomingdales + Crayola Team Up for Spring Campaign

For a gal who loves creating designs out of found objects, nothing makes me want to concept a project like childhood instruments refashioned into clothing. Growing up — heck throughout my adulthood, I dreamed of dresses constructed of paper, those tiny pompoms as earrings and rubber bands as bracelets. Oh wait that latter did happen. They were called jelly bracelets and all 80s kids had them. Anyway, the story here is that retailer Bloomingdale's has commissioned 12 fashion designers using assigned Crayola colors to create an exclusive collection. Out of the 12, seven of them pushed it even further with crayon sculpted ready-to-wear pieces. Now don't get excited about seeing these works of art at a Bloomingdale's near you. They're only onsite at New York's 59th location. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW CARASELLA

DESIGNER Rebecca Minkoff  // CRAYOLA COLOR Banana Mania (Above)

DESIGNER Ronny Kobo  // CRAYOLA COLOR Bittersweet

DESIGNER Clover Canyon  // CRAYOLA COLOR Mountain Meadow

DESIGNER Rebecca Taylor  // CRAYOLA COLOR Midnight Blue

DESIGNER Nanette Lepore  // CRAYOLA COLOR Unmellow Yellow

DESIGNER Cynthia Rowley  // CRAYOLA COLOR Denim

DESIGNER Parker  // CRAYOLA COLOR Jungle Green

February Type Project: 1-15

15 days ago I decided to launch my personal blog which crazy as it sounds was hard to do. Read the previous post and you'll get a sense of where my mind was. The same day I also decided to start a typography project to get me inspired because to be honest, lately I've been feeling REALLY uninspired. Maybe its the weather ...maybe its work ...maybe its DC ...maybe it's just the timing right now ...whatever it was I figured this daily series that involved constructing numbers out of found objects would challenge my creativity and encourage me to have some fun! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Can't figure out the items pictured? Let me help you:
Day 1 Rolo chocolates (Created before I ate the entire bag)
Day 2 Post-its! (Inspired by an album cover my friends Juan and Lina created)
Day 3 Stacked magazines (They surround me 95% of the time)
Day 4 Raw sugar
Day 5 T-pins (Key mannequin styling accessory)
Day 6 Earrings (I have an absurd amount of this must accessory)
Day 7 Gold spray painted walnuts
Day 8 Belts (Another day, another GAP styling job)
Day 9 Scotch tape (Channeling my inner Luba Lukova or Christoph Niemann)

Day 10 Lego (This is actually a Lego calendar given by my dear friend Nicole F)
Day 11 Crayons (every creative should have a box of these)
Day 12 Masking tape
Day 13 Belvita biscuits (What happens when you have crumbs lying around)
Day 14 Toilet paper
Day 15 Rocks

See the rest of the numbers daily via my Instagram.

#FitIn15

Zumba? Check. Jazzercise? Check. Gym time? Check. Above are some great items to help you look good while you sweat! Now get down and give me five! 

 

1 | Adidas Sports Bra $45
2 | Athleta Tee $44
3 | Wayfair Wrist Weights $10
4 | New Balance Sneakers $100
5 | Nike Headband $15
6 | Fitbit $149
7 | Without Walls Yoga Mat $65

Look Ma! I Have My Own Blog!

It's February 1, 2015 and after much scolding from friends, bouts of self-doubt, endless drafts regarding content, and general p r o c r a s t i n a t i o n, I've launched the blog you're reading. I took a cue from Nike and decided tonight to JUST DO IT. (I lie, I actually pondered several weeks over the launch date, thought the first of a month would be memorable and then blew off most of the day eating Hershey's chocolate carmel rolos and ravioli. What? I'm human.)

So anyway, here I am writing my own post for who I'm not 100% sure but feeling good that I can just rattle on and on about things I love (design, fashion, pop culture) without worrying about who the demographic its targeting or geared towards. As mentioned in my bio, I'm not a wordsmith or an editor but a visual person in the world of creativity. I don't have a copy editor or managing editor to police my grammar and sentence structure. What I do have is the foresight to spot great design, recognize the talents of amazing people and a keen fashion sense.

If I can pull this off, I'll being sharing products and design I find interesting weekly. Interviewing designers in a plethora of disciplines. Featuring architecture that defines traditional designs. Spotlighting artists and photographers that make meaningful work (or not). Pumping myself up for a 5k with "Fit in 15" fitness fashion posts and lastly making sure to give a shout out to an underrepresented demographic I fall into - African American creatives.

I know I just outlined a long list but I'm gonna give it the college try and try to post week by week. It's a new year. Looking forward to what 2015 has in store!

Thanks for stopping by.