Dawn goes Dom

Miss Dawn Richard of Danity Kane fame has been all over the map lately, vamping for HoneyMag.com, sitting front row with Diddy at the BET Awards and overall, building her brand in a major way. In her newest photoshoot, Dawn goes hardcore dominatrix on your ass alongside her boo, Que Mosely (of Day26). Shot exclusively by celebrity photographer Derek Blanks, the editorial shoot is an alter-ego interpretation of "good vs. evil," as the couple explores their "dominatrix" side vs. their "submissive" side. Sexay! Well now! I must say, happening upon these pictures in the middle of my work day caused me to clutch a pearl and lose my breath! Definitely a hot look for the both of them, but if these pics are any indication, I think we all know that Dawn is the dominatrix in this relationship, even when she's trying to be submissive! That lil minx! Photo credit: Derek Blanks http://www.dblanks.com/

Ideeli's Summer Red Sale starts today!

On sale: Abaco Handbags! My favorite invitation-only shopping community, ideeli.com, is having a Summer Red Sale starting Thursday, July 2! Expect to save up to 90% on spectacular clothing and accessories by crave-worthy designers. Prices start at a mere $10! Join me on the oh so exclusive ideeli.com and enter invite code: inawordfab for VIP access to a bevy of sales on all things luxury. The Summer Red event includes clothing by: On sale: Jay Godfrey dresses! Just Cavalli, Julie Brown, Malene Birger, Simone Perele, Mac & Jac, Earnest Sewn Jeans, Jay Godfrey, Bedhead Pajamas, Escada, & Nicole Miller On sale: Ernest Sewn Jeans! On sale: Mac & Jac tops! Don't forget about awesome accessories, handbags, & shoes by: On sale: LAMB shoes! Raj (scarves), LAMB Shoes, Pade Vavra Jewelry, Melissa Joy Manning Jewelry, Tila March Shoes, Abaco Handbags, Pucci Shoes, Roberto Cavalli Sunglasses, Ed Hardy Handbags, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. On sale: Roberto Cavalli sunnies! The Summer Red Sale starts promptly at 11:00am, Thursday, July 2nd. Enter invite code: inawordfab for access to the luxe life! Love and lipstick darling, Elle

Beth Ditto for Evans - Get the Gossip!

Beth Ditto, the larger than life frontwoman of punk band Gossip, is launching her very own plus-size collection for the high-street chain, Evans, on July 9th! Excited, yet? You do realize that Evans is the plus-size version of the UK import, Topshop, right? This means trendy clothes for curvy girls! Cue the wooooo! Ms. Ditto, who’s 28 (both in age and dress size), is known for stripping down to her jiggly bits onstage and being completely fearless and comfortable in her skin. How will this translate to a fashion collaboration? She recently chatted up London's Sunday Times: “You know, I’m a dyke — a crunchy dyke at that — so I had to weigh up whether I wanted to do something so corporate,” she says, her Southern tones at full tilt, “but it’s been a dream. I literally sketched out these shoes,” spoints her jazz flats in the air, “and they made them and flew them back to me. And I wanted to do a lot of things you’re always told not to wear if you’re big.” Like what? “Like anything with a good cut,” she laughs. So there are stretch tops, fitted jackets, acid prints and cut-off trousers — all very un-Evans. But no kaftans? “Which is a shame,” she nods. “I lurve a kaftan.” I assumed she would have been labouring under the martyred notion that it is impossible to find anything decent to wear if you’re over a size 16, but she says not. “I don’t understand all these women who say they feel betrayed by fashion. A piece of clothing can’t talk — it can’t tell you that you can’t have it — so really, you're just telling yourself that. You make yourself the victim, because if you want clothes that bad, then make them yourself. You have to get creative if you’re fat. I’m really good at turning a belt into a necklace, and I can always find a nice pair of earrings.” Here are some yummy preview pieces for your viewing pleasure: Looks promising! Can't wait to get the Gossip on July 9th! Source/Source

Out About Town: Snapple Big Apple BBQ & NYLON Guys/Keds Event

Hi inawordfab family! Nastasia, the Inaword Intern, here! Whew! These past couple of weeks have been busy busy! I've been going to a bunch of events to bring you some inspirational street fashion. First, I attended the Snapple Big Apple BBQ at Madison Square Park on 23rd. Just picture it: crowds of people in the summer sun all looking for some good food! Even in a hot, crowded park, there were men and women who were effortlessly fashionable and worth taking snaps of. Although I was kinda disappointed by the laidback looks around me, this woman (left) made me smile! She was just so cute! With her hair pulled back and under a straw fedora, she was right on trend and perfectly casual for the event. The blue button-up brought out her eyes and although she was dressed quite simply, all the way down to her small diamond posts, she stood out! Button-ups and jeans were popular that day! And if this woman isn't a model, she needs to be! She had the most amazing statuesque figure and a perfect complexion. But besides that, her crisp shirt and jeans with neutral accessories were on point. Her arm candy was pretty sweet too, and I'm not talking about her purse! He also sported a straw hat and I especially liked his watch, a classic accessory which is both practical and fashionable. Long-strapped purses were certainly a trend to be remembered! Her rust-colored leather purse was super cute and functional. The oversize earrings were a perfect touch to spice her who look up a bit. I like! The downtown couple of the event! They would definitely get the Hipster award, as they pulled it off like no other. The entire look on this woman was eye catching: the chains, the modern fanny pack, the oversize button-up with rolled sleeves and yet another straw hat! I mean, where did this girl go wrong? Her guy coordinated effortlessly all the way down to his Converse sneaks which are classic, cool kid kicks! Separately, these two are good, but like Ne-Yo and Fab proclaimed, "Baby, you make me better!" Hello lovie! Not only is she rocking a long-strapped purse but her ruffled shirt is darling and it works with the high waisted shorts! I loved the pockets and although I am usually a short shorts girl, I went coo coo for the lengthy look. They even tied into into a bow in the back! AHH! In love. Lastly, this is what I call an Asian Persuasion! The graphic prints on the men's shirts and hats were fun, but it is the v-neck that I think is absolutely sexy and perfect on a guy! (I love when mine wears his!) Now onto the fab girls. Leggings, check! A barbeque staple and in great colors and prints. And what else would you wear over leggings but a baggy sweatshirt or a comfy jersey top? Both girls had a bag that I totally wanted to snatch and grab! The mini duffle with nautical stripes was amazing but my favorite was the layered cream leather oversized clutch. Adorable! A few days late, I attended the NYLON/Keds/Bloomingdales event hosted by Ed Westwick. I got there just in time to see a great dance off! Hey Danger Cat! This dancer has a great body and a great look! Her eye make-up was outrageous and her body suit was on point as well. I asked her to take a picture, and BAM! She struck the most awesome pose I've ever gotten from someone in the streets. No wonder she won the $500 prize in the dance contest! Danger Cat wasn't the only lovely lady in attendance. These Midwestern women were new to New York and the party scene! I loved the purple American Apparel-style dress that was accessorized with the coolest headband. And the leather jacket worked well with the studded clutch to give an edgy feel without being too hardcore. Fabulous! This lovely young woman made me think "Upper East Side princess" as soon as I spotted her! I loved her floral print high-waisted mini paired with a loose white vesat. She paired them with a great bead necklace but it was the gladiator sandals that were simply delicious! This slightly off-the-shoulder LBD was perfect for a dance event! The leather slides were a sweet detail but I found that her shoulder grazing earrings were definitely what drew my eyes to her look. That, and her super silver short cut! Hot. Although I missed the sexy Mr. Ed Westwick, I did get a flick of Whitney Thompson, winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 10! I wasn't a fan back then, but she won me over. She's beautiful in person and her hair was great! But most of all, her black trench was totally classic and perfect for the nasty weather! Thanks to all who are pictured, and stay tuned for more events! -Nastasia, Inaword Intern

Loss of a Legend

Where there is LOVE, he'll be there!* Style Icon Photo Gallery of Michael Jackson and the fashion that inspired a generation Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till its gone... Sending peace, prayers and sparkles out to the world in memory of the quintessential entertainer and humanitarian. You were not of this world...rest well, love! xo, Elle *Thanks Halima!

Beyonce's "I Am" Tour Hits MSG

Beyonce aka Sasha Fierce, her freekum leotards and her all-girl band hit Madison Square Garden this week and by all accounts, this concert was a sparkly orgasm of nonstop amazingness! She saaang, she "uh oh'd," she posed and she flew! As a Yonce stan, I only have one question: why wasn't I there? Damn me! I was forced to scour the internets for the deets. Let's check out the setlist, shall we? Crazy in Love (featuring Jay-Z) Naughty Girl Freakum Dress Get MeBodied Smash Into You Ave Maria Broken-Hearted Girl If I Were ABoy Sweet Dreams Diva Radio Me, Myself and I Ego Hello Baby Boy Irreplaceable Medley: Check On It/Bootylicious/Bug ABoo/Jumpin’ Jumpin’ Upgrade U Video Phone Medley: Say MyName/Independent Woman/Bills, Bills, Bills/No, No, No/Survivor AtLast Listen Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) Halo Now onto the pics, with costumes courtesy of Thierry Mugler: Bitterness. I may have to follow her to the next venue! Did you go? Was it everything you could have hoped for and more? Do tell doll...

Shop Vintage at Harlem's own B.O.R.N.

At an exclusive shopping event taking place tonight, popular vintage store, B.O.R.N, is offering 20% off all merchandise including pieces from Stuart Weitzman, Dior, Cynthia Steffe and Calvin Klein. With one of a kind furs and amazing accessories, everyone will surely leave with something! Who: B.O.R.N What: 20% off vintage duds designers including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Stuart Weitzman Where: 52 West 125th street When: June 24th 2009 6-9pm Why: Because every fashionista should own vintage! RSVP to sara@vitalpublicrelations.com Sip, nosh and be reB.O.R.N!

H&M and Jimmy Choo!?!?!?!?!?!? H to the yes!

In a match made in budgetnista heaven, affordable trendwear giant, H&M, is collaborating with the Carrie Bradshaw-approved shoe brand, Jimmy Choo, for a limited collection of shoes and handbags, slated to launch November 14 at 200 H&M stores worldwide. [*clears throat* White girl wooooooooooo!] H&M tells WWD that there will be twelve "Jimmy Choo for H&M" shoe designs for women and four for men, priced from around $50 to $140. As Jimmy Choo shoes will typically set you back between $500 and $800 (unless of course you prefer the ever popular Claudia sky-high stiletto which retails as high as $1,395) this collabo will finally make the brand accessible to the fashion masses. "Claudia" Sandal Jimmy Choo co-founder and President Tamara Mellon said the brand would bring H&M "a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection." This is in a word EPIC. I seriously may have to put in for a vacation day. I will be up at the crack, vaseline on my face, ready for a fashion faceoff with anyone who dares to come between me and a size 10. I. Can't. WAIT! Source

Brian Reyes Friends and Family Sale

Monday June 22 and Tuesday June 23 8 AM to 7 PM 304 Hudson Street 5th Floor New York, NY

David Beckham in his Armani's (again)

Yes Lord! Yet another Emporio Armani underwear campaign has hit the streets, featuring the one and only David Beckham. Le sigh. Although these ads are not giving me the hot flashes that previous ones have (I think it's the hair), Becks is still one of the most perfect specimens alive.

Full Figured Fashion Week hits NYC

On June 25-27, 2009, New York City history will be made! The fashion week experience will finally be focused on the super sexy curvy girls of the world! And with 40 million women over size 14 in America alone, spending $25 billion a year on clothing, I'd say it's about time. Produced by DeVoe Signature Events, Full Figured Fashion Week (FFFWeek) will debut with a series of social events specifically showcasing "real size" designs, designers, retailers, local boutiques and models. Come out and network with over 1500 plus size fashion enthusiasts, style mavens, vendors and press during this highly anticipated three-day fashion extravaganza! Miss Kim Coles will be hosting the finale runway event, to be held at 7:00 PM on Saturday, June 27th at the Prince George Ballroom, NYC. Get all the details at http://www.fffweek.com/. See you there!

Candace Bushnell: 'New York is a city of energy vampires'

Writer, socialite and unbelievably fabulous woman, Candace Bushnell, recently sat down with CNN to tawk marriage, success and of course, her first love, the big city of dreams, New York, New York. She's been a girl about town since Studio 54 was in its prime, and shared her love affair with us all as the author of "Sex and the City." This interview was incredibly inspiring for me as a single girl surviving New York's lipstick jungle! Enjoy! CNN: How would you describe your work? Candace Bushnell: I try to write about the human condition, and shopping, materialism and consumerism comes into that, because America is a very consumerist economy. CNN: Tell me about when you first arrived in New York. CB: I first arrived in New York in 1979. I was 19 and I was going to University in Houston, Texas, and I decided that I knew what I wanted to do and it was time to go and do it. I literally ran away from college. Then I went to an acting school, "HB Studio" and I moved into this apartment with three other girls who wanted to be actresses. Of course, they were all waitresses so I was a waitress. I was incredibly determined -- I wrote short stories, I wrote the beginnings of novels. I wrote a little children's book and sent it to the editor-in-chief of the children's division of Simon and Schuster and she asked me to write a little children's book for a series she was doing. I got paid $1,000 for it and I was like "Oh my god, who says you can't make it in New York right away!" Of course that little dream crashed in about a month. CNN: So you didn't have an overnight success? CB: I was a freelancer all through my twenties. I did about one story a month and I wanted to write fiction, so the stories that I would do were precursors to "Sex and the City." I started working for the NY Observer when I was 33. After I had been writing for them for about a year and a half the editor said, "Your stories are the most talked about stories in the Observer, you should have your own column." I was paid $1000 a column and the reason was that the column "Sex and the City." was so popular that they sold newspapers and advertising off it. People in New York were faxing it to their friends who worked in the movie business in LA and almost immediately I was getting phone calls from movie producers who wanted to buy it and ABC and HBC wanted to buy it. It started as a seed, with an absolute truth that people may agree with or it may disturb them. It disturbs me sometimes when I read it because it's very wrong and very honest. I think most call it cynicism but I call it realism -- it is absolutely raw reality. It was never written for a big audience and it was never written to make people feel good. It was written as the truth in a humorous way. CNN: How do you feel about the TV series? CB: I think the reason why the TV series has continued, and has continued as a movie, is that they have never lost the authenticity of the column. CNN: How would you describe New York today? CB: It's a very, very busy place and it's a city where everybody has a place to go and a million things to do. It certainly can be a very stressful city but it can also be an incredibly exciting city. It is a place where your dreams can come true. It's also a city where you're going to see sides of human nature that you're going to be shocked by. New York is a city where, if you are open minded, when you walk out of your apartment you don't know what could happen. CNN: What do you do to get away from it? CB: I go to Connecticut and I look at bugs and I don't socialize. If I'm here for 10 days in a row I'm exhausted. When I was younger the energy really fed me. This is a city of energy vampires -- people really feed on each others' energies and that's why New Yorkers talk fast and gesture and they'll come in and say "Oh my god you won't believe what happened!" That's a normal greeting in New York. CNN: What was it like to get married and stop being the single girl? CB: Charles [Askegard, a principal dancer with the NYC ballet] and I met at the NYC Spring Gala seven years ago. It was really a magical moment because I was 43 and I had kind of given up on that. I was cynical about relationships and I wasn't sure about marriage -- I was always very worried that marriage was stifling. But when I saw Charles across the room I thought, "That's the man you're going to marry." We met and we talked and I thought, "This is the nicest guy I have ever met in my life," and we went to a club and we danced and we kissed. We got married two months after we met. CNN: Can you describe New York in 5 words? CB: It's exciting, passionate, fast paced, straightforward and, strangely enough, it's friendly. - Source

Bruce and his Bride Do W Magazine

Now this is my kind of wedding album! Bruce Willis and his hot young bride, Emma Waring, have stripped down to their skivvies in a strikingly sexy and disturbingly wierd editorial shot by Steven Klein. I love that Emma is playing dominatrix to a strong but docile Bruce: she's got him bound, cowering in a corner, blindfolded, bruised and battered! (Go bish!) No worries, he's loving every minute. - Now be forewarned, some of these pics are a tad NSFW (bubbies). Tell your boss it's art! You can check out the story that accompanies these flicks, here. Source

Dolce & Gabbana Sample Sale

Out About Town: She's Got the Look!

Are you watching Season 2 of She's Got the Look, TV Land's modeling competition for fabulous women over 35? You should be! The adorable Robert Verdi, stylist to the stars, is one of the celebrity judges. Not only is he talented... ...he's also super sweet! In early June, I attended the Robert Verdi and Friends sale at the thrift store mecca, Housing Works NYC. Besides scooping up some fabulous 60's era clip on earrings, a necklace that spells out "MEOW" in CZ's, and a Himalayan purse (totaling $16!), I also met Robert, who quickly grabbed my camera and declared himself the "master" at taking self-portraits like the one above. During the event, Robert was filming for his upcoming series, The Robert Verdi Show Starring Robert Verdi, coming soon to a television near you. But I digress. This post is all about She's Got the Look! Besides meeting Mr. Verdi, just last week I met Hope Toliver who competed on Season 1 of the show, at a birthday party at 1OAK. Her slim white suit definitely stood out in the crowd, and I remembered how inspired I was watching her and her castmates; gorgeous women of a certain age following their model dreams! Lucky for us, She's Got the Look is back for Season 2. Check it out on TV Land, Thursdays at 9 PM/8 Central!

Luxe Links

Beauty Sweet Spot share the latest on how to get and keep your teeth white.-Beauty Junkies Unite compares 5 self tanners and shares the results.-Watch as style maven June Ambrose interviews Chrisette Michelle at Black Style Central.-Blaq Vixen Beauty tries her hand at false nails from the Kiss brand...want to know how they measured up?-Find Beyonce's colorful gladiator sandals at The Cheap Chica.-Cool and Fresh discovers the incredible shoes of Nicholas Kirkwood.-Diary of a Style Addict shares the details on a fab charity event!-Check out this cute little dress from Anthropologie over at Fabulous Frocks.-Hot Beauty Health shows you 10 natural solutions to preserve your youth and beauty.-la.morena has the scoop on a ton of wonderfully priced goodies from E.L.F. cosmetics.-SparklingPinkGorilla shares her shoe of the day.-StyleLuxe shares what makes a great sandal.-Style Apothecary reviews the amazing products from Graftobian Beauty.-Workchic shows how you can go from the airport to a meeting in style!-For more information on The HLMN or on becoming an affiliate please visit our website.