Public Transportation Peril Ignites Protestors and Police Investigation in India

Today, a very brave young woman perished from injuries inflicted from a gang rape and beating that took place on a bus in India.  Unfortunately, this is an all too common occurrence for those that frequent mass transit in India.  Often times, women who are sexually assaulted, are blamed for the crime, which forces them to keep quiet, and for those that speak up, they are often ignored by police, or rare prosecutions are delayed in court for years.

Protesters have been rallying for days and 6 arrests have been made of the suspected perpetrators.  I hope that this young woman’s death has not been in vain, and that the politicians and law enforcement will take heed and do something to protect all their citizens and work to prevent these terrible things from continuing.

Tragedy Strikes Singing Sensation Jenni Rivera

Hi all.  It is with great sadness that I share with you that singer, and reality TV star, Jenni Rivera has perished in an airplane crash that occurred in Northern Mexico. She was well known for her soulful ballads that sold out music halls, as well as for her "take me as I am" attitude in both her life and her style. 

This curvaceous sensation had an amazing following, sold 15 million records, according to Billboard, and recently won two Billboard Music Awards, including favorite Mexican music female artist.and was looking to break into the English-language U.S. market and was reportedly on the verge of a crossover with a sitcom inspired by the success of "I Love Jenni," a Spanish-language reality TV show on Telemundo's mun2 network. 

She was a symbol of strength, and success, with a can do attitude. She was a mother first, and worked hard to give her children a better life than she had, and was also a fierce business woman. Rivera eventually became the owner of several companies, including Jenni Rivera Enterprises, which produced and marketed her music, a fragrance brand, a jeans factory and a television production company.

 

 

Rivera was nominated for Latin Grammy Awards in 2002, 2008 and 2011. In October, People en Español named her to its list of the 25 most powerful women. She is an amazing example for curvy women, and women everywhere, and will be greatly missed. 

 

 

 

Behind the Curve: Halle Berry

Now we've all wanted to dress so hot, to be so hot that men want to fight over us. I get that. To have two men--a fiance and an ex-boyfriend--fighting over us is probably soaked in drama and unhealthiness. But, having a fiance and and ex-boyfriend fight over you in the presence of your four year old daughter, is just downright nutty.

That's just what happened in Halle Berry's house on Thanksgiving Day when the father of her daughter, Gabriel Aubry dropped off daughter, Nala. Olivier Martinez and Aubry got into a fist fight in the presence of Nala.

Now, I know that some will disagree with me as I lay the blame for this fight at Halle's feet. Hot headed men, can be emotional and uncontrollable. But, Halle should have known better than to have her current lover, and her ex-lover meet and interact with each other during a most contentious custody dispute. The fight, could have been avoided by having Aubry drop Nala off at a neutral location or having Martinez leave for a bit while the drop off took place.

Halle Berry. She has mastered poise, class and fabulousness in fashion. At 46, she looks better than just about every working actress in their 20s. But, because she helped create an unhealthy environment which lead to the two men in her life fighting over her young daughter, she is behind the curve this week.

 

Holiday Look: Sparkle in Sequins

Ladies, we all know that sequins can be sassy, but there is that fine line between sassy and mermaid style sequins, and we definitely want to avoid the latter.  Here are a few of my favs below to let you really shine(in a good way) for the holidays.

 

 www.monifc.com $228.00

 

www.bloomingdales.com $134.00

www.igigi.com $90.00

www.avenue.com $89.00

 

Minnie's Gone Skinny?! Looney Tunes and Barneys New York Partner for Holiday Collection

So, Disney has agreed to partner with Barneys in the 2012 Holiday collection, but after the collaboration, the Tunes are looking….well. a little looney, to say the least.  According to Women's Wear Daily, Barneys collaborated with Disney to take their characters into a realistic fashion world for their "Electric Holiday" campaign, set to debut at their Madison Avenue flagship store on November 14. The highlight is a film, also debuting about Minnie Mouse's fantasy to attend Paris fashion week. As such, our favorite animated characters have ditched their signature garments for high-end clothing to wear down the runway. 

 

Barneys' creative director Dennis Freedman said their makeovers were a collaborative effort with Disney. "The animator and I sat next to each other and went over every detail of the clothes - how they're made, what material, how they would move - to get them as accurate as we possibly could," Freedman told WWD. He even brought in a model so they could study her movements and facial expressions and apply them to the illustrations. "When we got to the moment when all Disney characters walk on the runway, there was a discussion. The standard Minnie Mouse will not look so good in a Lanvin dress." 

All I can say is, really?!  Do we really live in a place where even the cartoons need to be 5' 11" with their heads out weighing their bodies? What happened to the lovable Minnie and sassy Daisy that can work that waddle?  I think it is really unfortunate that Barneys feels that the need turn a childhood favorite into something that does not even resemble a shadow of that memory.  What are they telling everyone out there,especially young children, by photo shopping even the cartoons. Shame on Barneys for not letting Minnie and Daisy be who they really are!

 

 

Faux What?

In news that should make us all angry and a bit relieved all at the same time, China has just arrested 73 people for their part in a faux luxury bag manufacturing ring.

The ring manufactured around a million faux Lois Vuitton, Coach and Hermes' bags.  Chinese authorities confiscated about 20,000 of said bags when they arrested the ring.

I'm not a tough on crime kind of gal, but if ever the proverbial book should be thrown at someone, the faux bag ring leaders are justifiable targets.  Ladies, say it with me: making faux Coach is a crime.

But, to lighten the spirits, here are my winter bag picks:

The Clutch

www.nordstrom.com $26.00

The Tote

www.nordstrom.com $150.00

The Satchel

www.macys.com $358.00

The Crossbody

www.nordstrom.com $278.00

Calvin Klien Ain't No Friend of Mine...Or Are They?

In the 1980s, perennial hip hop group Run DMC famously noted in a song of theirs, that "Calvin Klein ain't no friend of mine..."

In the 1980s that was true.  Hip Hop and the establishment were not friends.  But, in the 1980s a lot of things--the threat of nuclear war, Parachute Pants, and mullets, were also true.

But, we live in a new age.  Lil' Wayne is doing commercials for Mountain Dew, Diddy and Jay Z have their own liquor labels, and Dr. Dre has his own high end headphones.  I think it's safe to safe that hip hop and the establishment like each other now.

This new age has also allowed Calvin Klein to get cozy with curvy women and women of all sizes.  Look at these new additions from Calvin Klein:

www.macys.com

www.macys.com

www.macys.com

A few short years ago, I wouldn't have been able to write this because Calvin Klein wasn't offering clothing for curvy women.  These are fabulous additions to the wardrobe, which make Calvin a friend of ours.