Do your thang, Miss Solangel!

Miss Solange Knowles in all her fabulosity!

We all know my love for the Knowles’ knows no bounds (phantsi haters!), so even though this here article is ancient in internets years, I still have to give Little Sis her props.  

Solange is one fiesty chick and, although not always on point, her personal style is sick (yes, that rhymes). Her music’s also quite something. Her album, Sol-Angel and the Hadley St Dreams, is a staple at my place.

In her recent interview with Honey magazine, she opens up about her music, love life and her hair. Recently, the weave-a-licious Solange chopped off all her hair, causing quite the furore. She was featured on Oprah, during a story on Chris Rock’s documentary, Good Hair. Solange – and her weave-free hair – even shot up to Twitter’s number 3 trending topic at some point. This was her reaction:

The first picture of me when I cut it off — I had no idea that there was any photography going on. I was looking like someone taking their kid to school at 7 o’clock in the morning in jeans and a top and no makeup on, no earrings, no nothing. That reaction was very harsh, very negative. I think it was the initial thought of change in someone that freaked everyone out. As a society we equate beauty with the images that have been placed in front of us since we were little kids. Every Disney movie, every fairy tale, every pop star typically has a certain aesthetic and look. I think that anytime we see something different, it freaks us out. The more people warmed up to it, and they saw more images of me with it and dressed up with my earrings and a little something, something on my face, I think then people were more willing to conform and accept it. Now, it’s interesting how the first day I had it, I had nothing but negative, evil, cruel things in my inbox and then yesterday [after Oprah aired] I had 300,000 people saying ‘Oh my God, you looked amazing, so beautiful, and you made us proud.’ People were able to hear my reasoning, which is good and bad because we should be able to just express ourselves.

(Emphasis mine).

The thing I dig most about Solange is that she’s marketed as the ‘outspoken’ Knowles sister (I have no doubt that everything that family does is orchestrated) and she embraces that role with open arms. For more gorgeous pics and quotable quotes, head over to Honey (www.honeymag.com).

You can check out Solo’s Oprah appearance right here:
Youtube clip [Sorry, didn't allow embedding]
Jezebel clip

Guess who’s locking Vogue down – worldwide!

Miss Beyonce Knowles in Vogue Italia

Yes, not only is Mrs Carter covering US Vogue’s April 2009 issue, she’s also featured in April’s Vogue Italia. She’s not playing games.

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?

A thousand apologies! I’ve been AWOL for almost a month now. Not a good look, at all. To make up for the absence, here’s a great look – Mrs Carter doing her thing on the April cover of Vogue US (a first for Beyonce! Yay!):

Beyonce Knowles

Pic via

The Great(est) Kate

Say what you want about Miss Moss – yes, my fashion consciousness was formed in the 90s - but she sure can turn it out. Look. At. That. Face.

She discusses her latest ventures, designing for Topshop and pregnancy rumours in this New York magazine feature.

Some highlights?

Kate on designing: 

 I’m not a designer. I’ve never been to school or been trained. I can’t draw a dress, really. But I know what I like.

On her attitude to clothes:

I love clothes. I know how clothes should fit and feel. When I would go to shoots, stylists would say to me, “You really should do something. You should take it another step.” But it never felt right until I met Philip and the whole atmosphere of Topshop.

On her newfound boobage:

 I am a woman now! It’s true. No, honestly, I’ve never worn a bra in my life. Ever! It’s so awful, even my friends are phoning me up and saying “Are you pregnant?” And I’m like, “No! I just put on a couple of pounds, and they went in the right place.” Isn’t that weird? And how perfect for lingerie.

It’s a wrap!

What a week it was… Full of drama, celebs, mag covers and unflattering clothes. This week:

• Rihanna and Chris Brown missed the Grammys, had an altercation and speculation and mayhem ensued;
• M.I.A., on the other hand, made it to the Grammys and I fell deeper in love with her and her uterus;
• Beyonce also skipped out on the music awards ceremony. But if you miss her badly, you can always get your dose of Queen B on the cover of Fairlady;
• Speaking of mag covers, Madonna does W and no one has ever looked so classy while being so sleazy. We love you, Madge!
• Michelle Obama brought the heat on Vogue’s cover and got candid inside - despite having ‘helmet hair’;
• Gwyneth Paltrow has a foul mouth (and wears questionable  outfits);
• Based on Chomee’s indepth analysis of politics and economics (hmm), I now know who to vote for come April (or not);
• The only certainty in my life come April is seeing Mos Def rock the Cape Town Jazz Fest stage;
• We discovered that Salma has healing breasts
• And Lerato Moloi made us hella proud. Gorge girl!

 

 

‘And f**k all the haters!’

Elle UK

… Now, now, Gwynnie, that’s no way for a woman to speak…

Gwyneth Paltrow covers March’s Elle UK in a rather - um -  interesting ensemble (ok, I’m just not feeling it!) and she gets very real when talking about people’s misconceptions, Internet gossip and her vices:

On drinking: ‘I love good red wine. White wine is nice, too. I don’t like lager, but I like stout – I love Guinness. I never get drunk to the point of throwing up or anything. But I get very warm and talkative.’

On smoking: ‘Man, I wish smoking didn’t kill you, I’d be smoking right now. I miss it. The last cigarette I smoked was the day I found out I was pregnant with Apple. I had to sit down and smoke one final cigarette. It’s such a beautiful thing. I’m so pissed off it gives you cancer. But then, once you have children, if you’ve witnessed a death like I did with my father, you just can’t. I’d never want to put them through what I went through. So I don’t do it. But I’ve decided that when I’m about 70 I’m going to start smoking again. Why not? I can’t wait!’

Gossip blogs: ‘I saw this blog of people writing horrible things about me. And, you know, for a second you lose perspective and your ego is so wounded. You think, how could people hate me or hate my intentions or what I’m trying to do? I’m a good person and I’m trying to put good things into the world.’

On just being Gwyneth: ‘I am who I am. I can’t pretend to be somebody who makes £15,000 a year. That would be completely inauthentic. I know what my intention [with her email newsletter Goop] is – and if it makes one person’s life better, then it’s worth it. And f**k the haters!’

Leading Lady – Mrs Obama

You’ve all seen the cover (which I posted here), now it’s time for The Feature.

Interviewed by the legendary Andre Leon Talley, Mrs Obama opens up about parenting in such overwhelming circumstances (‘Getting her bearings, checking out churches to join, helping her kids adjust to unfamiliar surroundings’); creating a more ‘open’ White House (‘She speaks of her future there as almost a collective experience. It’s never “me” and “mine” and “some,” but “we” and “our” and “all.”‘) and being a working mom (‘She is a lawyer turned hospital administrator turned political right hand. It is a unique résumé.’).

With her new job as First Lady, she’ll be as busy as ever, but she’s still going to be a hands-on mom: ‘I’m going to try to take them to school every morning—as much as I can. But there’s also a measure of independence. And obviously there will be times I won’t be able to drop them off at all. I like to be a presence in my kids’ school. I want to know the teachers; I want to know the other parents.’

Jill Biden – vice-president Joe Biden’s wife – vouches for what a great mom Michelle is:

‘During the convention, my grandchildren and her children had a sleepover, watching movies, eating pizza and popcorn, just having fun hanging out,’ she said. ‘And I think that’s what’s special about Michelle—she maintains a normal life in an extraordinary time. You only need to be around her girls for a few seconds to know what an incredible mom she is.’

And, as one would expect of the composed Mrs Obama, she’s very nonchalant about her Fashion Icon status, saying: ‘I love clothes. First and foremost, I wear what I love. That’s what women have to focus on: what makes them happy and what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. If I can have any impact, I want women to feel good about themselves and have fun with fashion.’

It’s this pragmatism and down-to-earth attitude that has won her so many fans. Like Miss Oprah Winfrey, who says of her First Lady:

‘Michelle Obama is a full-blown, grown-up woman. An authentically empowered real woman who looks and feels like a modern woman in the twenty-first century, allowing us to see the best of ourselves in her. [She's] bringing a sense of connection and accessibility to that position that no nation has ever witnessed.’

And, obviously, there’s some interesting observations on the Obamas’ love story:

Remember that when the Obamas first met, she was his boss and mentor at Sidley, Austin, the Chicago law firm where they both began their careers. This is a new dynamic in the history of First Families. It’s doubtful the president of the United States of America wields executive authority within his primary relationship. You can tell from the way Michelle teases Barack in interviews, the way she’s not afraid to disagree publicly, that although she loves her husband, she isn’t in awe of him. (When he helped paint a room at a homeless shelter on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, she said, “Now that I know he can do this, it’s another thing he can do at home.”) They have maintained their autonomy and mutual respect yet clearly delight in each other’s company. When I saw them dance at the Legends Ball, rocking the party with their moves until a slow number came on, their genuine affection for each other was palpable. The woman he so publicly declared “my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life” on Election Night has been a true partner in every sense of the word.

This quote from Andre Leon Talley best sums up what the Obamas have come to represent:

How many among the crowds gathered to watch us pass were like me—an African-American who grew up in the Jim Crow South, whose father drove a taxi, whose uncle Lewis was a barber, whose grandmother was a maid her entire life—and turned their eyes to the Obamas not just with hope but with recognition?

Pic via.

Michelle Obama – come on, Vogue!

Michelle Obama is Vogue’s March 2009 covergirl. Now that’s change I can believe in!

The dress is by Jason Wu, the same designer who made Mrs Obama’s inauguration ballgown. The photo is by Annie Leibovitz.

Pic via.

Material Glam

Madonna's latest W magazine shoot

Madonna is seriously turning it out in the upcoming March edition of W magazine. Harking back to the good ol’ days of Erotica, she’s in full on sexpot mode in this ‘Blame it on Rio’ editorial. Her co-star in this 46-page spread is her rumoured toy boy Jesus Luz – life imitating art imitating life.

The blurb for the shoot:

A powerful, sexy woman and her boyish plaything. Sound familiar? In sultry Rio de Janeiro, the ever-provocative, newly single superstar teams up with photographer Steven Klein for a no-holds-barred 46-page portfolio. Once again, it seems, Madonna does it her way.

My thoughts on this:

- Guy who?

- I hope he isn’t slitting his wrists somewhere.

- Damn, I wish I look that good at her age.

- Lourdes must be the toughest kid out there! Is she still capable of being embarassed by her mom’s antics?

- Sleeping with Jesus? When will the religious symbolism end?

Pics via.

Beautiful Beyonce

Absolutely stunning! This is the March 2009 edition of Fairlady magazine (on sale NOW). Not only is the cover amazing (yay, Beyonce!), but so is the content (and I’m not just saying that because …).

March is generally my favourite mag month because Fairlady does its Big Work Issue. This time around, there’s advice on forming a CC, copyrighting your ideas, being indispensable (yes, even with the recession in full swing), balancing business and family and being a great team player.

But if work isn’t your ‘thing’, there’s also a great piece on one woman’s quest to find the ultimate Sugar Daddy. How did she do it? She posted an ad on Gumtree (no, it’s not just for finding flats and selling fridges).

Other highlights:
- Sally Kramer and Tasneem Larney put bank charges to the test (and my bank account came out as the biggest loser!).

- Renata Harper gives some tips on self-publishing.

- And there’s finally some firsthand answers to that question: ‘Why do men have affairs?’

If any of this sounds appealing – of course it does! – head over to your nearest supermarket/ news agent/ book store and get it while it’s hot. If you have any issues finding Fairlady on shelves, text FAIRLADY, followed by your store’s name and the area to 32510 (costs R1 per SMS).

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