Bingeing on Bling

Over this past weekend my mother was perusing the latest issue of Architectural Digest to come in the mail. That was when she came across a photo of a breathtaking piece of fine jewelry.  "You know how I love beads," she said between sips of coffee.  "Let me see?" I asked.  It was a stunning five-strand necklace comprised of 18K yellow gold beads by Marco Bicego.  "It's only $28,700 and it's only sold at the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship," my mother explained with a nudge and a wink in her voice.

I love jewelry.  I am not sure if it is my mother's or my grandmother's influence, but it is safe to say that we are a bling loving family.  I promised to make a trip to the tony department store later on in the week to check out the trinket in person.

Yesterday I eased on down Fifth Avenue and found myself darkening the store's grand doors.  I met Richard, the friendly sales associate, behind the Marco Bicego display case who informed me that the piece was not on the premises.  "However, it will be here tomorrow and so will the designer," he promised.  It didn't take much to convince me to make a return visit.

One of the results of my mother's cancer surgery this past April is that she gets winded very easily.  Although I wanted her to join me, I understood why she was reluctant to make the trip into Manhattan from Southeast Queens.  I promised to try on "the piece" (as we now call it) and have someone photograph me wearing it.

When I reached the fine jewelry area today, I was met by Leslie Block, the company's national accounts merchandiser for the U.S.  Apparently, Richard had already informed her of my interest in the necklace.  She whisked me to a cozy, carpeted back room where I came face-to-face with "the piece".  It was as awesome as I had imagined.  And the only one of its kind.  Leslie indulged my request to be photographed wearing "the piece" to make an assessment on the necklace's length.  It felt very tight around my size 17 neck and I think it would be only slightly roomier around my mother's neck.  When Leslie introduced me to the designer himself, they both agreed that having another necklace constructed for just a little more money would not be an issue.  I love great service and I was being treated like a V.I.P.  You just cannot get that at H&M!

After chatting with Richard and sipping champagne, I had to get back to my real life just outside the doors about 30 feet away.  But I know if I ever make it big, my mother can expect to get that necklace just because I think it would look pretty around her cancer-free neck.

Peace & Fashion!

It's All Me!

I lost track of time and before I knew it a month had passed and I hadn't posted anything to my online journal.  Truth be told, I've had a lot of things on my plate and the blog took a backseat to all my stuff.  So I am just going to have to take this moment to fill you in on all the behind-the-scenes fashion drama. 

Maryellen & Wilbur at November to Remember Event

Having nothing at all to do with fashion and just on a personal note, on October 31 I celebrated another birthday.  I am officially 43 and FANTASTIC!  It was all very low-key with the family and then I was among the thousands of people at the Halloween Day Parade down in the Village with my close friend, Chris.  There were lots of half-naked people masquerading as something ghoulish or sexy (I'm not sure which?) and I know they were cold.  In NYC, you can use any occasion to show off your stuff.  But pneumonia as a side effect is so not cool.  I'm just sayin'!  I've shunned big blowouts and costumes for awhile, but I think when I turn 45 I am going to have to reconsider. I am just happy to have reached this age in good health, loved, and pushing forward.

So you already know about my trials with Bloomingdale's and the less-than-positive meeting I had with the buyer for Special Size Dresses.  Well, it seems that all the powers-that-be are on the same page and are not interested in opening accounts with any new vendors.  This information comes directly from my favorite salesperson in the women's department at the 59th Street flagship, Scheffie, who met with the regional director and general manager.  I guess, all's well that ends well.  Next season I will perhaps have a different story to tell.  Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue also did not take the bait, so Ashanti and I have been chugging ahead and contacting the specialty boutiques.  We've heard some positive things from a couple of the stores.  So we're in talks to see what we can do to seal the deal.  I promise to keep you all in the loop.

Having written this blog for over a year now, it became apparent to many, especially my sister-in-law, that I have a voice.  And I was urged to write my book.  So I have begun.  I settled on writing my memoir and started early in the summer.  I asked certain people whose input I trust, like my friend Sheila Rule, a former New York Times journalist, to tell me if I was headed in the right direction.  Sheila assured me that I was a good writer and had an interesting enough story to tell.  But, she said, I was leaving out the meat and only providing the bones of the story.  I needed to give a full picture of my life.  I've had to re-live some parts of my life that I had forgotten or that I found painful.  But the process has been surprisingly very cathartic.  And I really like how I've been able to craft a visual by using words on a paper.  I am shooting to finish it by sometime in 2011.  And then I will have to tackle the whole publishing monster.  But right now I am just taking it one step at a time and enjoying the process.

I've also been busy supporting some of my colleagues in the curvy community.  Two Saturdays ago, On November 13, I attended my friends Jeannie Ferguson and Tasha Hill's presentation of their Big Girls United (BGU) Chameleon Collection..  And this Saturday past, my friend Dhylles Waight-Davis presented her Katwalk Katerers' November to Remember charity runway show.  I am always happy to support my friends in their endeavors and happier to be a part of the audience instead of the one running around frantic and crazy making sure everything is running smoothly.  The curvy community is tight knit and many times I see some of the same players.  But that's okay with me.  When I was creating fashions for the less ample, I always felt like an outsider and it is this sense of community that makes me feel like I am home.

Wilbur & Ashanti show some love to Jeannie of Big Birls United



P. Crawford, Wilbur, and Renee J congratulate Dhylles on her Novemeber to Remember Event



Ashanti and Wilbur meet face-to-face with Renee Jennings 

I am busy working on the next collection which my team and I will present here in New York City in March.  I've already started fittings!  We've got a full plate already for 2011 including a trip to Los Angeles to participate in a runway show for a fashion initiative called Kiss The Curves.  I feel like there are just not enough hours in the day.  For real!  But I promise to be more diligent about documenting my odyssey.  I'll be back after the holiday.  But until then, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Peace & Fashion!

Paradise

I have opposing forces pulling at me.  On one hand, I am all Zen and connected to the universe as I invoke the preacher's words from Sunday's church service with declarations like "I am a winner!"  But on the other, I am worried that I will never quite measure up to the bigness of my dreams in the fashion world becoming just a small footnote that was never quite in vogue.  I wrestle with these 2 frames of mind often.  And so on the eve of what is to be my big launch, the angel and the devil are chillin' on my shoulders once again whispering in each of my ears as I try to press forward.  I'd rather listen to the angel with her ceaseless message of my success, but sometimes that devil encroaches and I become a panic-stricken fool.  My dresses are progressing nicely, though not at the pace that I would like them to.  Things are falling into place.  My creativity is through the roof.  But I just cannot get too overjoyed, yet.  Much still has to be done.  And I don't know how it's all going to play out.  But I just want to continue to trust my faith in myself and in my journey.  After all, a kind of paradise is on the horizon.  And it is filled with beautiful women wearing my dresses that they bought from the stores that I have always imagined carrying my line.  They are the kind of stores that dispense pretty shopping bags stuffed with tissue paper and provide unparalleled service.  Paradise is my destiny.  The devil be damned.

Peace & Fashion!

In The News

Last week, you could hear every curvy fashionista hoop & holler all over the blogosphere when it was announced that the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store here in New York City would begin carrying sizes up to a 14 (and some beyond) of haute fashions from the likes of Oscar de la Renta, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, and others.  It makes dollars & sense considering the average woman is a size 14.  I say, "It's about time!"  I'm happy for all those fashion savvy curvy divas with lots of money to spend because now they have real access to the exclusive designers on the 3rd Floor.  But I hope my zaftig friends will also support me in my inaugural plus-size endeavor and continue up the escalator to Salon Z on the 8th Floor where (hopefully) you will find my line for a fraction of the prices on the designer floor.  I'm just saying!

I'm always ready to put in my 2 cents even when I am not asked for a contribution.  So when Gwen DeVoe, the founder of Full-Figured Fashion Week and super duper entrepreneur dedicated to all things fashionable for the fluffy girl, was a guest of the Life Size Radio show on blogtalkradio.com I called in and offered my input.  Luckily, the host, Stephanie Arnold, and Gwen were happy to hear from me.  You can tune into the broadcast at Life Size Radio and weigh in on all the positive plus-size talk.  Since I am never weary when it comes to talk, I was invited once again to be a guest on my new friend, Muriel's show where she talks about Changing The Narrative.  This Saturday past I read an excerpt from my book Memoir of a BlackFashionDude which is only in its early stages.  And I discussed the fears that many of us harbor, including yours truly, when we decide to step out on faith and pursue our dreams.  I think you might find the broadcast enlightening and inspiring so please listen to it by clicking on Muriella's Corner.

That is all the news for now, I'm afraid.  But please look for my next blog entry where I will share more fashion and less talk.  All this talk has got my mouth kind of dry anyway.

Peace & Fashion!

EXPERIENCE: Fashion's Night Out

Fashion's Night Out was a huge success judging from the throngs of fashionistas who poured out onto the New York City streets by the hundreds with yours truly among them. I started my party off at 5:15 p.m. when I arrived at Macy's Herald Square to purchase Michael Kors' intoxicating new women's fragrance, Very Hollywood. With my purchase, I received a special edition tote bag and the chance to have my photo taken with the fashion designer and Project Runway judge. And it was the perfect gift for my mother. I'd already invited my diva friend, Josette, to join me for the night's festivities and she met me while I was waiting for the man of the hour to arrive.
And, oh, what an arrival it was. Madness ensued as the CEO of Macy's, Terry Lundgren, introduced Michael Kors and his very special guest, Debra Messing. For those of you who don't recognize the name, it's Grace from Will & Grace fame. Flashbulbs popped and the mostly fragrance counter crowd squeezed in a little closer to catch a glimpse of the fashionable twosome. And as I assumed my perch between MK and DM, the crowd of onlookers went wild. Well, at least in my dreams they did. Debra was so lovely and personable and Michael was everything I thought he would be.
As soon as I collected my photo, Josette and I headed up to Bergdorf Goodman. Unfortunately, we were met outside by a mob of fashion savvy revelers about 12 deep who were also trying to get into the posh fashion emporium. Perhaps they had heard about the celebrity bartenders, Ashley & Mary-Kate? But my diva friend and I were not about to wait on another line, so we just eased on down Fifth Avenue until we got to the Salvatore Ferragamo store where the grooving music and the lively crowd beckoned to us. When the clipboard lady asked us if we had RSVP'd, I was caught off guard. Wasn't this supposed to be an open celebration for all?

I wanted to tell her to just move outta my way! But once I told her we would be shopping, she did anyway. I headed straight to the bar and ordered a glass of Veuve Cliquot champagne for my guest and me. As we sat among the shoe offerings for the well shod with lots of money to spend, we bounced to the sounds of vintage Jackson 5 songs. Oh, how I miss Michael! Not one to let grass grow under my feet it was off to our next location - Saks Fifth Avenue. I'd read that Mr. Sexy Back himself, Justin Timberlake, would be making an appearance.
But before we got very far, we stopped in Versace where I posed with model-of-the-moment Chanel Iman. Such a sweetie, she asked if she could first be photographed with her boyfriend before she and I were framed together. Never the jealous type, of course I agreed. And besides she's not even drinking age, yet! After inching a few yards in the elbow-rubbing crowd, I spotted a live mannequin posed on a perch just beneath one of the store's crystal chandeliers. She looked so unreal that it was hard to believe that she wasn't an escapee from Madame Tussaud's in Times Square.

After playing shutterbug, Josette and I hit the streets once more until we finally found ourselves in front of Saks' massive doorway. By this time, however, we had missed the Justin Timberlake madness. But the music was still throbbing as we held court with my favorite fragrance specialist, Jayson at the Thierry Mugler counter. After exchanging pleasantries (and collecting a little swag), we headed up to the 8th Floor, the ladies shoe salon. And between the Christian Louboutins and the Roger Vivier pumps, I came face-to-face with Pamela M. You may remember her from my Essence Magazine story. Ever the fake, she smiled broadly and asked how I was doing as she bussed me on the cheek. Even Josette remarked about her mock friendly tone. After perusing the fierce shoes, it was time to end the evening. After all, it was back to reality (and the plantation) the next morning. But as I parted ways with my diva friend and got a ride with my designated driver, M.T.A., I gazed at the photos on my camera screen and thought about all the fun I had for Fashion's Night Out.

Peace & Fashion!

My Name Is Victory

On Monday I got a call from Abe who has his own showroom on 35th street in the garment district. I had spoken with him briefly on Thursday. He told me he would call once he got a chance to review our online look book. During our phone conversation yesterday afternoon, he told me my dresses were lovely. But he also ran down a laundry list of issues he had with the collection which included everything from its fabrication (cotton) to the small number of looks in the line (7). But in the end, his biggest problem was with its price point. He thought that they were worth the asking price with all the handwork and finishes, but he felt that stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus would definitely have some resistance to the prices. He suggested that my associates and I try to sell the line to the stores ourselves because after a showroom gets its fee and commission, we will have very little cash-on-hand to show for all our efforts. He recommended that we contact the buying offices at a couple of local posh department stores and the buyers at high end specialty stores and schedule appointments for them to see the line. It makes perfect sense! But since we gave up our Manhattan showroom space on 8th avenue a few years ago, we really have nowhere to meet with these buyers. And I am sorry, but Starbucks is out of the question! And since none of us involved in this business venture have connections with buyers, it may prove a little difficult to get them to respond to our requests for a meeting. But I believe in making a way out of no way. Defeat has got to be staring me in the face and kicking me in my butt before I will give up. So what if we hire a seasoned sales professional who has the contacts? Maybe they'll give us a whirl on a commission-only basis? I mean, it's worth a try. Isn't it? And maybe, if we put our heads together, we can come up with a couple of people we know who are city dwellers with lovely living quarters who would not mind letting us use their homes to conduct these meetings. After all, a wonderfully talented new designer named Prabal Gurung did it and he has opened a few accounts with some reputable stores. Why can't I? I am a fashion industry survivor hell bent on making a success out of Sorta Kinda Enterprises. And if it means climbing through the window to accomplishment instead of walking through the door, then I better find a ladder. After all, my name is Victory.

Peace & Fashion!