Nichelle Newsletter

Mansard Roof

Even though I am not in school or taking a class, I learn something new everyday.

Black Turtlenecks are often worn by cult leaders.

The Root just launched this week, but calling it "The Black Slate" is redundant and wrong.

I am not afraid to be on the bandwagon and say I like Vampire Weekend, but I feel like wearing Sperry  Topsiders when I listen to them.

Everything is next week:  Super Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Fashion Week, Chinese New Year.   I have to vote,  show my tits, look skinny, and celebrate the rat.   Busy!

Fit But You Know It

Electric:  Michael Mione's designs are truly glamorous!  I went to the opening of his studio last night in Soho, and it was fun.  There were models wearing Mione Designs dresses which are great for celebrations--weddings, parties, and red carpet.  I even spotted Nole Marin from Elle and America's Next Top Model at the party.

Thunder:  RKB gave me a copy of I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters On Their Craft.  It's a collection of interviews that editor LaShonda Katrice Barnett did artists including Abbey Lincoln, Chaka Khan, Nona Hendryx and others.  I just read about Abbey Lincoln, and now I want to hear some of her music.  All of the women are fascinating!

Armor:  Ok,  I am so enamored of  arm warmers.  Maybe it's because they would seem work with short sleeved shirts that I love to wear, and then there's no need for a cardigan to keep me warm.  However, there's a chance that a "rag doll" look may happen, but I'm willing to risk it for a pair of cashmere arm warmers at Uniqlo.

Potholes In My Lawn

Tacos:  The New York Times spills the beans about the cheap and delicious tacos in my hood --Sunset Park.

Toast: My birthday is less than two weeks.  Carolyn and I have the same birthday. The party/comedy show will be Tuesday November 27 at Chicks and Giggles.   If you are stuck for an idea for a gift, think Sephora gift card.  It takes a lot of beauty products to keep up  with this rock star lifestyle.

Toeless:  Last year, I bought into the footless tights craze which I kinda knew were the same as leggings, but I know that "toeless socks" are just anorexic legwarmers.  I saw Negin last night at Chicks and she made her own by cutting the "toes" off a pair of black socks.  There's some Prada ones on sale at eBay, if you must.

Rock This Town

State:  Today, I stopped in the cutest little corner store, Blue Ribbon General Store. It is at the corner of State and Bond in Brooklyn, and sells old fashioned taffy, games, books and more.  The store is great for gifts.

Start the slutty costumes early:  Fashion Indie is hosting a Punk vs Rockabilly Halloween Party on Thursday. [Free admission before midnight]

Still Single:  I love WNYC, really I do.  However, I imagine that going to a singles event at the opera with people who religiously listen to WNYC could actually make my genetallia retract as fast as a politician at a press conference. [I know.  I hang around comedians waaaay too much]

Harlem World

Emaciated:  I visited the Gehry-designed Conde Nast cafeteria and ate an oatmeal raisin cookie.

Appreciated:  Stopped by the Hue-Man Bookstore in Harlem to attend the reading for Sil Lai Abrams' book, No More Drama.

Fascinated:  Walked east to go to the Studio Museum of Harlem.  There was a book launch for The Threads of Time, the Fabric of History by Reed Miller.  Norman Jean Darden, Therez Fleetwood and Alma Rangel talked about fashion world and how much is changed today, yet not.
In the audience, I spotted Nichelle and Zulema Griffin from Project Runway.

Sated:  Enjoyed a lovely dinner of chicken and waffles at Londel's.  [Apparently, I am not worried about wearing couture this season.]

Say It Isn't So

Giddy Up:  According to Buzz Feed,  stirrups are making a comeback.  Lately, I only see stirrups is during an OBGYN exam, and  I am loathed to see them on the streets on New York City.

Move:  If you have never been to Chicks and Giggles at Mo Pitkins on Tuesdays before, then come check out the show tonight!  We will be there only two more weeks (October 9 and 16).  Then we are moving the show to a new venue.

And Columbus Cortez was an a$$hole: The lovely Liza's take on the name Hispanic Heritage Month.

Don't POKE me:  Giulia's take on Facebook.

My Love Is Like...Wo

Okay, so I got up, threw on my red and white polka dot dress and went up to Bryant Park this morning to try get into the Tracy Reese show for Fashion Week.   I did not get in, but I had fun people watching. As I stood outside, I saw a lot of celebrities and fashionistas walking inside and outside the tent.  There were tourists  who didn't know what was going on, but waited outside patiently with their cameras anyway.

Who do I see? Ivana Trump, Mya, Andre Leon Talley, Star Jones, and my favorite Tim Gunn. Patrick McDonald was there and he appeared to be actress Julie Newmar's "walker" as he escorted her inside the tents.

What to wear?  As far as trends go, everyone is wearing various shades of gray including silver and pewter. Electric blue patent leather is also a favorite.

What's a blog? I saw Scott in action taking a picture of a stylish woman on her way into the show. Then I said hello to Nikola who was also snapping photos.  Girls dressed as flight attendants was passing out Jezebel barf bags.  Right before I left, I saw Najwa who is covering Fashion Week for NPR's Day To Day.

It's Not Over

Last night, fashion and technology converged at the HP event, Your Life Is The Show.   I attended as press for AllBusiness.com.  It was a fun event where there a laptop skin fashion show, and appearances by snowboarder Shaun White, model Petra Nemcova and tennis star Serena Williams.  There was plenty of booze and party appetizers.  I especially likes the fig and sausage skewers. One of the party attendees was former congressman Harold Ford Jr.  He told me that he is now teaching public policy at Vanderbilt  University. 

Then I caught the end of the Fashion Tribes  Fashion Week Party at Tecasan.  Later, I stopped into Toad Hall and ran into Jose of The Fame Game.   He told me that he was in the neighborhood at Deitch Projects after attending the book party for The Warhol Economy.

Front The Most

ice cream in mccarren park, originally uploaded by youngna.

Arty:  Met supercool artists and dancers at Jonathan Shorr Gallery Saturday night.

Drawn:  If you read comics, check out Douglas Wolk's book, Reading Comics. 

Film:   Enjoyed a summer blockbuster, "The Bourne Ultimatum" and it makes me want to visit Morocco.

Nerds:  You may have read about Nerdcore in the Sunday Styles of the Times, but did you know that Negin Farsad and Kimmy Gatewood (Chicks and Giggles comedians) directed and produced a documentary, Nerdcore Rising? Check out the trailer!

Not a twat: The fashionable backlash to the Anya Hindmarch "I am not a plastic bag" craze.

The Latest Fashion

Style:  This past weekend I met Monif of  Monif C.  Plus Size  Fashions.   She's having a midsummer sale!

Secret:  New York & Company is the best store because nobody in Manhattan shops there. [Snobs!]

Play:  Remember Fashion Plates?!  I may be dating myself, but I loved that toy. Well, FashMatch is the Web 2.0 version.

Encrypted

Spotted: Eric Bogosian in Barnes & Noble Union Square after the Ladies Who Launch book event.  The book, Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship and Creativity as a Lifestyle  is out now.

Sample: Listen to African pop artist Wumni on NPR's "News and Notes"

Stolen: Someone with the domain name, VermontConnect is stealing my Keeping Nickels content. I did a domain registrar search using Whois, but the name is not there.   I think it is a spam blog.

Stop: To all the girls walking around wearing those shiny leggings from American Apparel. Stop wearing them! The shiny material looks heavy on even the most model thin girl so your legs look like sausages.

Dress You Up In My Love

If you see me in person, you rarely see me wearing pants or jeans.  This was not always the case. In college I was extremely casual, wearing sweats to class.   My first job out of college was professional dress so I wore suits to work and that was an expensive requirement.  I can't fit into any of those suits now, but I know that a suit or dress seemed easier to wear that matching up an outfit. Even after leaving corporate work, I enjoy wearing dresses because they are more comfortable than wearing pants.  Plus I think I have a nice pair of legs.  Today I am thinking about wearing jeans mainly because I am so sick and tired of wearing tights.  It's April already!

Update: Today I heard about Zafu.com which is a great site for helping you find the perfect jean. It's an online referrer as opposed to an online retailer.

Change Clothes

Fashion Swap Meet, originally uploaded by candiedyams.

The Fashion Swap is back on Sunday March 18
Lava Gina 116 Avenue C
6PM-8PM
Spring is almost near
Time to swap for new gear
Bring clothes, shoes and accesories to swap
Then you can browse and shop.

All leftover clothes will go to the homeless.

One drink minimum. Lava Gina is making a special cocktail called the Swaptini!

RSVP at http://fashionswapmeetspring.eventbrite.com

Lucky Lips

DSC_1551, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Godiva Chocolates, Moet Champagne and fancy handbags were present at the Lulu Guinness store on Bleecker St last night.  It was Lulu's first appearance in New York in three years and her fans were ecstatic to see her. She posed for the paparazzi and signed copies of her book,  Put On Your Pearls, Girls. 

Grace Kelly

Source: Adidas

How hot are these Red Betty Boop Adidas kicks with Velcro?!   With no shoelaces, you could rock these at a nightclub, in jail or at the nursing home.

American Standard is the movie that I worked as an extra last summer.  Let's hope I don't end up on the cutting room floor.

I read somewhere that there is this guy named Mika who sounds like a British Rufus Wainwright.  Listen to his track, "Grace Kelly" and judge for yourself.

High Fashion

"Do they only have extra-larges left?" complained a petite girl at a crowded store this afternoon.  Forget Fashion Week, the Proenza Schouler line at Target that debuted today at the Opening Ceremony on Howard Street was the talk of the town. Women from all over the city flocked to Opening Ceremony who  kindly let Target take over their boutique for a few days.  I had the opportunity to visit the store and luckily I wear XL (size 13 junior) so I can reap the benefits of the cheap designer goods. I bought the turquoise silk print dress for $39.99. Hooray!

Related: A commenter on Fashionista says that the line runs small.

Change Clothes

graphic by Shayna Kulik

You got your new stuff from the holidaze,
Now it's time to give the old stuff away
Bring clean clothes to swap with other chicks,
I'm sure you will find stylish gear that clicks!

Fashion Swap Meet @Lava Gina
Sunday, January 14 6-8PM FREE
Bring a bag a clothes, make new fashion-forward friends and have fun!  
The leftover clothes will go the homeless. 

Supermodel

SHOCKING! TRUE! CONFESSION! Tonight I got to hang out with Star Magazine's Jill Dobson  and it was not on the red carpet!  Jill, AMNY's Farnoosh Torabi and other women from Ladies Who Launch modeled for a wonderful fashion show featuring Kathlin Argiro dresses and styled by Amy Salinger. 

Here's a link to the dress I modeled, but it was in black and fuschia. Hint:  My birthday is  November 27.

Supermodel

_DSC6001, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Shapiro: Me and Actor/Comic Rick Shapiro from HBO's Lucky Louie at last week's Halloween party. [We are not dating!]

Sigh: Happy about the Dems, but sad about Harold Ford, Jr.

Style: Next Thursday, I will be a model for a fun fashion/style event called "Style Me Chic".   I will modeling the latest “Day to Chic” Kathlin Argiro dresses and stylist Amy Salinger will coordinate with accessories and stuff.  The event is produced by Social Diva.

Save The Date:  BlogHer Business is March 22-23, 2007.

Shout: new website, inChicks.com. It is like a Digg for Chicks.

Drive

Clutch, originally uploaded by ONE/MILLION.

 

Laugh: The Complete Idiot's Guide To Jokes edited by Larry Getlen is now out. Many comedians that I know and love contributed jokes to the book.

Cash: Steve Rubel has aggregated a list of how to make money from your blog.

Skip:  Gawker "jumped the snark" with the Suri Cruise  and corny celebrity coverage.

Explode: I finally met the other Nichelle who blogs and she is supercool.

Crush: Stopped by the brand new R Bar on Bowery, and loved the fact that there are two stripper poles in the back bar. The decor is luscious red, too.

Flutter:  I am in love with the lovely clutch purses made by Socoley.  I can't decide if pewter or cherry red is my favorite.

Fashion

Good news is contagious.  I love to tell people about the good stuff, and today I had a wonderful time at the lovely and informative Bloggers Who Brunch event that was organized by Lesley of Fashion Tribes and Pamela of Bag Trends. Sponsored by the Glam Network, the brunch started with mouth-watering  watermelon cocktails appropriately called "The Fashion Blogger".  Then me and the brunch attendees feasted on delicious vegetarian food at Counter (East Village Restaurant). My good friend Liza from Culture Kitchen was there and I was introduced to a group of really fun people including the following:

Danielle from Celebrity Babies and her lovely daughter, Anya.

Clare from Sense of Soot. She gave me great information about doing book reviews for  Sci-Fi and Mystery books.

Linda and Marlen from Girlawhirl.

Tia from The Quest For It.

Elke from The Beauty Newsletter.

Vera from I'm Not Obsessed.  She does a lot of contests! Click to win!

The speakers were great. Kathryn from the Budget Fashionista, Meghan from Miss Meghan and the fabulous Najwa Moses from Styleaholics whose fashion sense and personality explodes.  Forget the skinny blondes from Rocketboom, Najwa's video podcast, "The N List", is the bomb!

What You Need

Sperry
Originally uploaded by candiedyams.

I am not my Dad.
I don't live in a retirement community.
I don't surf.
I WANT these slip-ons by Sperry.

or the Black Slip-On Vans with the Che Skull and Cross Bones (can't find the picture online)

99 Problems

99 Problems
Originally uploaded by candiedyams.

Here's a great new T-shirt craft book, 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie
Your T-Shirt into Something Special by Faith Blakeney, Justina, Anka
Livakovic, Ellen Schultz.

Jealous Girl

Did Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas) hack Karen's (from The Porno Jim show) outfit?

See this picture I took of Karen at a party back in June.

[I changed the picture to Black and White 'cause the bright colors and big boobs can be overwhelming to the untrained eye.]  By the way, Porno Jim has a podcast, and I am sure it's not safe for work.

Ebony and Ivory

The Black Table hoodie...You know you what one!

I Wish

And now for something completely frivolous....pink suede flats.  Can't wait for spring weather.

Get Here

Call it poor planning, but I flew down to Atlanta out of Newark on Wednesday, the busiest air travel day of the year.  So I decided to observe the crowds to see what the fashionable wear when they travel home for the holidays.  The most popular attire are jeans. Travelers wore jeans in order to be comfortable while waiting online at the airport and then sitting in coach in a roomy airplane seat.  For the upper body, people wore new sweaters in autumnal colors like olive green, orange, or whatever colors that the Gap is peddling this season.  Footwear ranged from leather boots, sneakers, loafers and slip-on shoes.  I must admit that I abhor those slip-on shoes.  They remind me of slippers that you wear around the house. However, present airport security procedures require that people must take off their shoes at the security checkpoint and now those Merrell slip-ons finally have a purpose. Those are only shoes that you can wear when traveling that you can easily remove and put back on without hopping around on one foot!

The Latest Fashion

Rome is a city filled with ancient history and modern fashion. There are all the designer stores, Prada, Dolce and Gabanna, Gucci, etc. along via Conditti near Piazza di Spagna. I marveled at the very stylish yet simple way that Italians dress. They believe in good fitting clothes with nice accessories. Sophistication and comfort are the keys to dressing like the Euros. Jeans are a staple paired with colorful and functional sneakers. Yes, the Italians love their Pumas sneakers. I was happy to see the colorful array of tights with fishnets, stripes and even leopard prints. I will definitely stock up, so that I can wear with my wool skirts. Elegant women wore purple scarves, velvet or fine wale corduroy blazers. Also I saw long necklaces (pearls and/or gold chains) worn with turtlenecks or white blouses. The young men are sporting a weird mullet/Mohawk haircut that I hope doesn’t make it to the States.

PS Nobody is wearing ponchos in Rome. Now I know there is a GOD!

U-G-G-L-Y You Ain't Got No Alibi

You Uggly! Thank God it's over! It has been officially declared that the Uggs boots are so last season. Please stop wearing them! I have never understood the craze for boots that make your legs look like elephant trunks. You have been warned by the fashion cops. Spring is on our doorteps, so break out the kitten-heel flipflops or the yoga sneakers. Cool! Washington Square News