Have A Good Weekend, You Deserve It

To all of my Swaggeristic readers, I don't know if is just me, but this has been a long, tiring, stressful week. I just need to chill for the moment. So, I wish each and everyone of you a happy, safe, fashionable, but most of all, SWAGGER-FILLED weekend. Until we talk again, stay true, never jeopardize your Swagger, and help someone else, find their way to the world of positive thinking, self-motivation, style, and attitude...THE WORLD OF SWAGGER!

~The Style Master

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News From The Elite Group

***Blogs That Show Me Love, and I Show Them Love In Return***

UrbanScanz: Keisha Knight Pulliam Graces The Cover of Jet - 'No Longer Cute Rudy'

Thickmisses: New Video: Roots Feature Wale and Chrisette Michell

Lolo's Cube: Catch A Look At The Good, The Bad, From The Emmy Awards

Street Anthem: Chris Rock on Larry King Live, You've Gotta Hear His Views on Palin

Check out The Nus Report (The Nus Report) on BlogTalkRadio.com

Upscale Swagger: Will Smith Is Back For 'I Am Legend' Sequel

Word Izz: Juicilious At It's Worst Jay-z 'Stop Taking Close Ups

Yo' Daily Dose: Ne-yo Feat. Jamie Foxx & Fabolous 'She's Got Own' Video

In My Deck: Catch A Glimpse at Photos and The Video Trailer 'Notorious' the story the chronoclozies The Notorious B.I.G's life.

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Time To Update Your Swagger

With the changing of the seasons, comes the need to update your Swagger. Swagger, like all things, is constantly evolving, if you become stagnate, you fail to have Swagger.

How do I update my Swagger? I am so glad that you asked. Well, take a moment to write down where you are currently, and where you want to go. Be careful to survey every aspect of your life. From this list, make an action plan. Each day work diligently to complete at least one item on your list of goals. While doing this, you are advancing your philosophical, dietary, health, romance, entrepreneurial, financial, social, and familial swagger.

Secondly, look at your closet and remove the obvious summer clothes. Items that can be mixed with a sweater, jacket, blazer or such, set aside. Evaluate your shoes; look at the heels, soles, the toe, and the edges determine what, if any, repairs need to be made.

Women: Stock up on leggings, tights, bangles, a colored patent pump, a basic colored platform Mary Jane, and invest in one big purse and a few clutches. See tips for fall and winter here. Make sure you have the basics, and you will be fine for the Fall and Winter. Check out the Basics Here.

Men: Because our look is classic, so to update our closets all we need to do is make a few choice purchases. The mix of dressy and casual, is the male look of the season. So while we may have these things in our closets already, buying 1 or 2 more pieces will add variety. Cashmere is a must, be it a blazer, sweater or hat, get something cashmere. You must have a black skinny tie, something militaristic, a pair of blue stressed jeans, a pair of gray stressed jeans, a brown boot, a black boot, a basic black derby fedora, and some colored bebop fedoras. Do not forget to ensure that you have the Basics. Check out the Basics Here.

Mix and Match your new additions with the old closet picks, each time you make a look that you like, photograph it, this will help to eliminate those moments when you are standing in your closet asking yourself 'What to Wear, What to Wear'. Now hurry, and get to getting. Update your swagger, and leave me some comments or e-mails on your progress.

~The Style Master

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First Glimpse At Ellen DeGeneres As A Covergirl

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Look At London's Fashion Week

London's Fashion Week and Madrid's Fashion Week are going on simultaneously, as we speak. I am getting overwhelmed with the interpretations, so I will only post items that I feel are fashionable, fashion forward, and would be great adoptions for my client, and me alike.

Here are 3 collections that get's The Style Master's seal of approval.

Aquascutum's designs always stay true to its history. Aquascutum is British Fashion, at its finest. The Collection includes day wear, evening wear, coats and trenches. The Spring 2009 Collection leaves nothing to be desired, and I am sure that the boutiques will sell out of the pieces rather quickly. Nicole Farhi is one of London's exclusive designers. Her unique blend of easy but functional tailoring has made her name synonymous with quality. Eley Kishimoto while being skilled in stage design, home interior and design, made a twist in 1990 to promote a Men's Fashion line that was well received. Eley Kishimoto is currently working on the development and everything. We want to do accessories, shoes, and perfumes.

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Ask The Style Master

Hey Styles,

You've been gone for a minute. These are my questions for you...

-I am a dark, brown skinned girl so what hues work best with my skin tone?
-I just brought some suede, gray oxford pumps. What pieces can I put with these to make them look good?
-I've seen magazines with women wearing dresses or skirts with color tights; yellow, blue, etc. Is this acceptable?

Also, can you do a piece on what women should wear for their body types? Especially women with big stomachs, but petite bottoms and girls with huge bottoms and petite tops. I hope I didn't overwhelm you!

A. Red


A.Red,

Thank you, so much for your questions. I have, indeed, been gone for quite sometime. I really appreciate you not leaving me, and being patient and faithful until my return. I will answer each of your questions, accordingly and/or direct you to the previously published articles that addresses the question that you are asking.

Question #1: African American women are blessed with a nice canvas that can wear many different colors of make-up. It is difficult for me to advise you on what shades would be best for you, as I would need to conduct a full color analysis to properly do so; therefore, I will try to answer your question, but the answer will be quite broad and general. The first step to determining what colors are best for you, is to examine your skin's undertones, e.g. what colors are mixed with your complexion. There is no one that is basic brown, basic tan, basic ebony, etc. I have found, from my experience, that ebony complexions typically have blue undertones, which mean cool colors are the best match for them. Brown complexions, usually have gold undertones, which means that warm vibrant colors are best for them. Fair complexions, usually have ivory undertones, which makes them medium, meaning that pastels are best for them. The most important thing is to find a great African American makeup line, that will have a plethora of shades designed for your particular skin tone. My favorite makeup lines are Mac, Cosmetics Starflash, New View and Viva Glam Collections; Bobbi Brown Cosmetics; and Iman Glam Rocks and Private Romance Collections. I hope that this helps.

Questions 2 & 3: Suede pumps, platform Mary Jane's, and vibrant patent pumps are really en vogue for Fall/Winter 2008, as is all sorts of colored and textured tights. Ironically, I was consulting with a client earlier this week, and the same question came up. For your gray pumps, a great choice would be a nice wine, plaid, royal blue, hunter green, or basic black tight or legging, a gray tunic sweater, balloon dress, or unlined peacoat (non-wool) with a wide built that can be turned into dress would make an excellent look. For accessories, choose 3 stackable oversized bangles, a large purse with a buckle, hooped earrings and a horse riding hat would make a great, fashion forward cutting edge look.

Question 4: See previous post here

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Project Runway Season 5 Fashion Week Debut

Okay, by now everyone should know that this year the Project Runway Bryant Park Tent debuted 6 Designer's collections; 3 of which were the actual finalists, and 3 of which were the designs of decoys. The 6 semi-finalist that presented their 10-piece collections were: Jerrel Scott, Stephen "Suede" Baum, Joe Faris, Kenley Collins, Korto Momolu, and LeAnne Marshall. This was one talented group of presenters, and their collections while mosly unfinished because the designer's had less time this season, presented some interesting details, style interpretations, and really highlighted the designer's skills, or lack thereof.

Jennifer Lopez was supposed to have joined the team of Judges; however, she cancelled at the last minute, causing Victoria's Secret Angel and Host Heidi Klum to elevate the designers mentor, Tim Gunn to replace her. Tim advised that he promised to put all personal relationships and biases aside, so as to ensure that he was judging fairly.

My two favorite collections were Korto's and LeAnne's. Both, seemed to have really thought about their collections, the stories they were wanting to tell, and the adaptability of the pieces into Ready to Wear pieces. Take a peek at the final walks:

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Faux Swagger Alert: GOP Wants To Surpress Vote

As I sit at my desk, drinking coffee and reviewing various on-line periodicals, with the sounds of Good Morning America playing in the background, I run across several articles that really perplexed me. As I have stated before, I am an experienced Political Scientist, and my collegiate degree is in Political Science-Corporate Law; though, I am a Fashion Stylist and Image Consultant, by profession, politics and law are very much a major interest of mine.

Having said all of that, I now focus my attention to the issue that at hand. While the issue has nothing to do with fashion, it has alot to do with Swagger, and this is indeed Faux Swagger. I read the following in an article "...the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan...is planning to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from voting in the upcoming election...state election rules allow parties to assign 'election challengers' to monitor the election. In addition to observing the poll workers, these volunteers can challenge the eligibility of any voter provided they 'have a good reason to believe' that the person is not eligible to vote.' -SOURCE This is utterly preposterous, sickening and downright distasteful.

I remember from my college Constitutional Law Class, having to memorize the U.S. Bill of Rights, and several important Amendments, that were later added to the Constitution. I distinctly remember that in 1870 the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution, and clearly stated, with no uncertainty, that ''The right of citizens of the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on the base of race, color or previous condition of servitude". In 1920, the 19th amendment was added to include 'sex' as being an unconstitutional voting exclusion. In 1964, the 24th amendment added the charging of 'poll taxes' or having unpaid 'other taxes' to the list of unconstitutional exclusions. And, in 1971 the 26th Amendment was added to make 18 the minimum age to vote, and to guarantee the right to vote for anyone 18 and over. As you can see, the Drafters, Ratifiers, and later Congresses have worked diligently to ensure that every man and woman, in every demographic, are eligible to vote, and their exclusion is unconstitutional. Having said that, it is my opinion that state's giving parties the right to 'challenge votes' is therefore, unconstitutional.

Furthermore, I would not support a candidate or party, for that matter, that would seek to eliminate a vote, simply because your party mucked up the economy, causing banks to fail, mortgages to plummet, unemployment to rise, and foreclosures to skyrocket. Shameful, I say, SHAMEFUL! Come on GOP, that is really a low blow. I mean, of course your voters would not necessarily be affected, because your party is composed of: hillbillies that live in shacks, chew tobacco and carry shotguns, God Ole Boys that come from centurion pedigree, Stepford Wives that have affairs with the pool boys, and young professionals looking for an easy way to network and gain respect at the risk of losing their integrity. So, I guess I should not at all be surprised at this gross display of Anti-patriotism, murked with tones of 'Agent For Change'. ***Shaking My Head***

I still proclaim that I am a registered Independent; however, this Presidential election is really causing me to consider, aligning myself with one Political Party, as I can no longer see myself voting for a member of the GOP.

***With great sarcasm, saying aloud*** 'Lose your house, lose your vote!?! I DIGRESS!!!!

~The Style Master

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Ellen DeGeneres, A Cover Girl?

Yes it is true. Ellen DeGeneres has joined the coveted list of Covergirls! Her ad campaign, set to launch in January of 2009, will feature a new lip gloss. Swagger Style would like to congratulate Ellen on this major accomplishment.

I have often said, that Ellen had an attractive, model-esque face, and apparently the executives at Covergirl agreed. Catch a glimpse and hear Ellen's announcement here.

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CHARLOTTE FASHION WEEK IS COMING

Charlotte North Carolina Fashion Week ™ (CNCFW) arrives in the Queen City, this week, September 18-20 2008! It will be the premier fashion event of the year, showcasing designers

CNCFW hopes to create an often overlooked platform for those in the fashion and beauty industries who are seeking to grow their business, and market their designs, products and services. The event is founded on the premise of creating an affordable way to debut new designers before an audience of fashion enthusiasts, stylists, boutiques, buyers, VIP guests, and a number of media representatives covering the event.

Charlotte North Carolina Fashion Week ™ is set positioning itself to become a respected forum in the fashion industry; enabling industry professionals to build valuable contacts.

Event Cost: $35-$185
For more information contact: info@charlottencfashionweek.com or visit: Charlotte NC Fashion Week.

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News From The Elite Group

ELITE GROUP NEWS

-News from the blogs that I love and that love me back

*Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington graces this weeks cover of Page Six magazine. In the mag, she opens up about her new job as a director, the first time she met Barack Obama and leaving a three-year engagement. Catch a glimpse at Urbanscanz

*Jennifer Hudson is getting married?? Fact or Fiction

Jennifer Hudson is getting hitched. The Oscar winner is engaged to I Love New York 2 star David "Punk" Otunga, her rep tells Usmagazine.com. Otunga, a Harvard Law grad who has worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, popped the question on her 27th birthday. The two have been dating for less than a year. Read more at Thickmisses.

*Eva Mendez is dripping Sex Appeal

Eva Mendez is one of the celebs that just has it. She drips sex appeal; doesn’t matter if she wears a trash bag, she’ll still turn heads. All the starlets that turn to the standard Herve Leger dress for the sex kitten look, need to take notes. And though some try, what she has cannot be purchased. Read more at Lolo's Cube.

*The Game

The Game debuts on the cover of J’adore Magazine. Catch a glimpse at StreetAnthem

*$150,000.00 Hermès Crocodile Jacket

Hermès has created something truly extravagant. The French High Fashion House has created a $150,000 peacoat made entirely of crocodile skin. The coat was designed by Hermès men’s designer Veronique Nichanian for their Fall/ Winter 2008-2009 collection. Read more and catch a glimpse at Upscale Swagger.

*Solange To Appear In A Loreal Ad

Read more at WordIzz.

*Welcome Back, Professora!

*Catch a glimpse of some interesting and entertaining dresses at YouDailyDose.com.

*50 Cent Mocking Kanye West's New Single In Albany!

At a performance in Albany, 50 Cent mocks Kanye West new single. Catch a glimpse at In My Deck

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Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week

September 5-12 was the week that New York got a fashion overhaul. There was an onslaught of shows and parties celebrating the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Spring 2009. The creme de la creme of designers, stylist, and fashion icons, like peacocks, dawned their brightest most vivid creations to present their latest work. So, what does Spring 2009 look like? Below you will find a bird's eye view of my favored designer's shows, and overall snapshot of Fashion Week Presentations. Over the next several days, I will be publishing my thoughts on each collection that presented during New York Fashion Week; so be sure to check back daily!

~The Style Master

Calvin Klein

J.Mendell

Marc Jacobs

Oscar de la Renta

Vera Wang

Canvas Look of New York Fashion Week 2008

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The Style Master on Politics

I have laid in the bed and watched the political fiasco we so affectionately call 'Race To The White House'. I must say that I am more than mildly perplexed with the infantile jeers, fashioned by one party to force a reaction out of the other. Having majored in Political Science, and having practiced Politics, I am fully aware of the evil side of campaigning; however, I maintain a gross distaste for those that season the in-fighting of political parties with their personal beliefs. Everyone is entitled to his or her own thoughts and philosophies; however, those philosophies are just that, personal, and therefore have no room on the Senate Floor or even being scripted and dropped in 'The Hopper' for that matter.

My political philosophy is that, no one has the right to speak, unless they are a registered voter that actively participates in the political process. I am indeed, an active voter, registered as an independent, that regularly participates in the political process...I was reared that way.

I was perplexed during the Democratic Primary Race, at the shameful, divisive in-fighting that occurred; however, I was pleased to see that just as hard as Hilary and Barack fought one another, is just as hard as they were working to appear united. I was even more pleased to see the support that both are giving to one another.

Now, for the Grand Ole Party (GOP), The Republicans. Where do I begin? Wow, well I guess, I should begin with the obvious...choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential hopeful. I must admit, that I knew that they were going to play the 'female card'. I mean, they had no choice. Let's examine the race, for a moment. The Democratic Party, despite its flagrant in-fighting, were preparing to nominate any one of two minorities, that were ready and willing to give Senator McCain a difficult fight. What was even more unearthing to the GOP was the thought of both minorities forming one ticket. The Democrats were receiving great press for being progressive, evolutionary, and ready to change the face of Capitol Hill. The GOP was hard pressed, and began to wait; wait to see what the VP Nominee would look like. The GOP saw a way to make themselves appear progressive, nominate a minority. But the face of that minority was dependent on how the Democratic ticket would look.

So, Biden was chosen, a Caucasian male, and the GOP had received their answer, they chose a female, one that was not well known by the party, but one that could come in and champion the Feminists war. But their problem was that they took an unprepared woman from obscurity and placed her at the forefront of a degenerating club of Stepford Wives, Hillbillies, and Good Ole Boy Pedigree. They chose a woman, that did not resemble the established, far more qualified, established politicians that are within the party. No, they had to choose someone with a stark contrast to not only the party, but the ticket champion, as well.

Being a career-minded woman -though she attended 5 universities, in 6 years to obtain a journalism degree-has allowed her to give the everyday domesticated, Oprah watching, bon bon eating, minivan driving female a voice.

It will be interesting to see the debates. We have McCain who only talks about a Utopian Society where we all will hold hands and play Ring-Around-The-Rosy, he can't give an answer as to how it will be done, but he stiffly rises to the occasion and says 'Fight With Me'! Then we have Barack, that is a great orator able to engage the hearts and minds of those listening to his charismatic solutions to an ever present problem. We must not forget about the VP Candidates, Biden, a senior politician well-versed in Foreign Relations, and The Hockey Mom, whose only difference between she and a pit bull, is that she wears lipstick.

Yes, indeed, debate season is coming, and while I critique their style, I will be more focused on critiquing their swagger...what are they REALLY trying to or not to say!

~The Style Master

pictures courtesy of Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times (Obama and Biden) and bp3.blogger.com (McCainPalin)

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The Style Master Returns...

Hello to my wonderful subscribers, frequent visitors, Elite Bloggers, Network, and of course those that leif by mere happenstance. I am back, still healing, but back.

I apologize that me, nor my staff, have been unable to publish any posts, but rest assured I will make it up to you. Please, be patient I have been in the bed, and boy do I have alot to say. The Style Master will be speaking on Politics, Fashion Week New York, Fashion Week Charlotte, and providing some very helpful tips for the Fall and Winter. It is time to Advance Your Swagger, Make A Style Statement, Master Your Style!

Let's get started,

~The Style Master

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Where Is The Style Master?!?

We are sad to say That The Style Master is out sick. He is starting to feel better, so we hope to have him back on the grind by the first of next week. Please, continue to check us out, because we will try to put up a few posts, in his absence this weeks. We love and appreciate all of our readers.

Thank you,

Style Master Image & Consulting

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