Fashion All Day

You're dying to find out, aren't you? Don't act like you could care less about knowing the details of Saturday's photo shoot. It was in one word - MAGNIFICENT! The day could not have gone any smoothly. Originally, I wanted to shoot outside the United Nations. I had even acquired all the necessary permits weeks in advance. But after Mother Nature ordered the heavens to rain down on me, we moved the shooting location inside to a dear friend's apartment. His elegant home was to be our base where we only did outfit changes and made adjustments to hair and make up. But it instead became the backdrop - an instant photo set for the ladies readying themselves for a swanky evening on the town. New York, New York!

The day began with a very early 9:00 a.m. call and ended after several hours at approximately 7:00 p.m. But time did not drag and all of us merrily got along as if we were old friends. Monique coiffed the hair into modern masterpieces - a la Mary J. Blige circa The Breakthrough with a mishmash of Angela Davis & Funny Girl thrown in for good measure. Then there was Alexandra, a wizard with the makeup brush, who painted Vanessa & Valencia as if she were working on great works of art. My sister, Ashanti, is my go to manicurist and she lacquered the models' talons a candy apple red. I love red! My brother, N'Gai, and his comrade Spencer were on hand for security while my sister-in-law, Rebecca, was busy behind the lens. Having borrowed over $12,000 worth of lovely gold baubles for the shoot from my dear friend Camilla Bergeron who is a purveyor of fine estate jewelry, I thought having security was the smart thing to do. And since my baby brother is bigger than me, he was more than up for the task. Luckily, he and Spencer didn't have to let out their inner guard dog! The 2 V girls (Valencia & Vanessa) were not just gorgeous, but professional and divatude-free for the duration of the day. I really cannot express enough gratitude to all of the players. And it was extra special and reassuring having my family there.

Now that this part of the journey is over, it is time to move onto the next phase of the plan. Once I've selected the photos that best show the garments, I've got to hire a showroom to rep my line and get it onto store racks. But as I turn the page to the next chapter, I look back satisfyingly at the fun that we had with fashion all day.

Peace & Fashion!