How You Like Her Now?

Jennifer Hudson is on the cover of the latest issue of Essence magazine.  In fact, as of late, it has been difficult to overlook the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Academy Award winning actress and Grammy Award winning singer since she became the latest celebrity spokesperson for Weight Watchers.  J-Hud's svelte new figure is featured prominently in print ads and can be seen gracing billboards all over New York City. Her commercials for the weight loss brand are in heavy rotation on network television and last month she discussed her dramatic weight loss (80 lbs.!) during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.  But there is something that I find disturbing about all this attention being paid to her now size 6 frame.

I remember first catching a glimpse of Jennifer on American Idol.  I thought she was beautiful and talented.  Unabashed by her robust figure, when she performed she commanded the attention of her audience.  And she seemed to own her killer curves.  She was dismissed from the competition too soon, in my opinion, but shortly thereafter she resurfaced as a movie star winning acclaim for her role as Effie White in the film "Dreamgirls".  Each time she graced the red carpet, people took note that she was a beautiful, curvy girl who was stylish, graceful, and gave a lot of fashion fabulosity.

But now it appears that Jennifer has become just another pawn in the celebrity game who has bought into Hollywood's conventional definition of beauty.  It was revealed that she needed to shed weight in order to portray Winnie Mandela in a yet-to-be released film.  Since she gained weight and won an Oscar, I thought losing weight might bring her the same acclaim.  But then she continued with the program, her waist whittled down several inches, the evidence of its former girth only believable because of old photos circulating the Internet.  While no one wants to be considered fat, I do feel that the celebration of Jennifer's transformation is a slap in the face of every curvy woman who struggles with self-esteem and image issues.  We hold women, in particular, to a higher standard without considering the ramifications of all our judgements. Don't get me wrong, I applaud Jennifer's dedication to her weight loss program and exercise regimen, but she was just as lovely when she was a size 16.  My wish is that we are more accepting of ourselves and others who may look less-than-perfect from the outside.  Because beauty flows from within, no matter what the scale says.

Peace & Fashion!

Star Wattage

My friend HOWARD

I've known Howard for a minute.  He's tried to convince me that he came into my sphere back when I was a kid going to dance school.  But I don't really remember that.  He used to hang tight with my cousin Lamesha back in the day.  He's also vacationed with my mother and aunt when they flew to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival.  So he's pretty much an integral part of the family dynamic.  This weekend he sent me a message on facebook informing me that a legendary actress/singer/entertainer was looking for a New York based fashion designer who would provide her with an original look for her "comeback" engagement at a renowned NYC area hotel.  "Wow," I thought, "it sure would be cool to work with her."  I remember, as a kid, falling in love with her after I watched her movie portrayal of a tragic member of a soul singing girl group consisting of three sisters.  It is believed to have provided inspiration for the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.  On that screen, she was beautiful and glamorous and sexy and my eyes were immediately drawn to her.  I watched her career progress as she starred in movies, television miniseries, and had lead roles on Broadway.  So I immediately banged out a message introducing myself and pressed send.  I was surprised when I heard back from her almost immediately.  After a couple of back and forth emails, we chatted on the telephone.  And her down-to-earth disposition was so refreshing.  In a matter of three days, I have designed something that blurs the line between masculine and feminine, she's approved it, and I've already met with my friend Brandon who will be overseeing the construction.  As we move full steam ahead, I will keep you posted on more of the intimate details.  And stay tuned for the big reveal when I disclose her name and her outfit as the opening of her cabaret show draws nearer.

Peace & Fashion

AdDRESSing Fashion



Spring 2012 Preview



I am doing what I do, as my 5-year old nephew says, by diligently working on the sketches of the collection for Spring 2012.  I know it seems really far away, but time is swiftly moving.  And this coming season I need to be ready.



My nephew NILE



I've named this collection Out Of The Dark because it reflects triumph over disappointment.  It's about my emergence from my blue period and how I am beginning to see the light of promise.  The silhouettes are crisp, yet easy and the colors (onyx, cocoa, dove grey, cream, and tomato) are fairly subdued.  There's not a whole lot of embellishment, but an interesting mix of textures and fabrics.

I am standing on the universe's promises that I will obtain all that I need to translate this collection from paper to reality and that the stores will finally be ready to embrace my aesthetic.  That is my prayer and that is what gives me the vitality and the spirit to press on.  So stay tuned. . .

Peace & Fashion!

The Dealio

Sheila Rule

I am in the midst of writing my memoir.  My friends Sheila Rule and Marcia Fingal, whom I hold in incredibly high esteem, have given me such invaluable input and I've called on them on several occasions for their expertise.  After over twenty years, Sheila retired from her career as a journalist for The New York Times newspaper to begin the second chapter of her life as the owner of Resilience Multimedia, a publishing company that gives voice to the plight of  the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated.  Marcia, a  graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in journalism, is righting the wrongs of social injustice through her work as a documentary filmmaker as she continues her career as a commercial model.

Marcia Fingal & Wilbur

Although some of their comments have been tough with very little consideration paid to my delicate artist's ego, I know that they are dispensed with the purest of intentions.  My ladies want to see me write the best book  I possibly can.  And I am grateful for that.  They have challenged me to go deep and dig through some of the unpleasant memories of my past.  But I've also been able to relive so many of  the moments when I've experienced joy or felt a sense of accomplishment.

Someone asked me why did I think my memoir will be a book that people will want to read.  And while I don't think that my life is extraordinary, I believe that I have a fine way of telling a story.  Besides, my experiences speak to the experiences of many who have dreamed a different, more fulfilled life for themselves, who have mustered the courage to pursue those dreams, and who have weathered the storms - those obstacles that, in the end, strengthen our resolve so that we become better, more resilient individuals.  I would like to have the book completed by summer's end so that I can begin to see if there is interest at some of the established publishing houses.  Even if I have to self-publish, it is a story I look forward to sharing with all of you.

Peace & Fashion!

Where's Wilbur?

Just the other day, I saw a post on my Facebook wall from my friend Jamie Rice. She asked me where I had been and informed me that she missed my blog entries. The truth is that I had been floating in the abyss of self-doubt and disappointment once again. I had tried so many times to write about my odyssey, but I was stuck and everything I wrote sounded as blue as I was feeling. I just didn't want to put that out there to whatever readers I may have left. And so I held my tongue.

Ashanti and I had run ourselves ragged trying to sell the Spring 2011 collection. Each evening after returning home from the plantation, we were feverishly making calls and sending emails to boutiques and specialty stores throughout the U.S. in our desperate attempt to get the line out to the public. Certainly these store owners would embrace us like the curvy women who had sent me countless messages asking how they might purchase a Wilbur design. Despite all the love we received from our potential customers and the clamor of interest we got from bloggers and fashion followers, all we got from retailers was loud silence. And then I began to worry about how I was going to put a collection together to show this March. Time was moving by. Quickly. We hadn't even begun work on the garments. I was and still am seriously in debt from our September debut and there was no money to beg, borrow, or steal. My mother could see the obvious anxiety in my actions and suggested I take a break. "What?! I can't take a break now. Everyone is expecting my follow-up collection." I tried to forge ahead. Then a business colleague, Brandon Atherley, who is a talented and respected celebrity fashion stylist, shared his thoughts. He advised, "Instead of trying to throw something together and it not being your best work, why don't you sit this season out?" When two or more people share similar recommendations, I really take notice because I believe that the universe is speaking to me through them. And so I decided that I would shelf plans to produce samples for a fall collection and press the refresh button on my soul. It was the best decision that I've made thus far this year. It has allowed me to re-evaluate some of the ways that I handle my business. I am still interested in attaining financial success, but I will not allow the possibility of making it rule me to the point of breaking my spirit. I am finally, after 13 years, beginning to understand that I have a gift and I am not going to let people in positions of power make me feel like my designs are less than awesome. I am going to treat myself with care and not let the validation of others define my self-worth. After all, I Am Fabulous. . . despite what you might think!

Peace & Fashion!

Vitamin Me

I have always held myself to an incredibly high standard.  My feeling is: If I'm not going to do my absolute best, then there is no point in me doing it at all.  Yet, lately, despite my best efforts, I feel like I am falling short.  I have promised to write in my online journal regularly, but I have not.  It is with the best intentions that I start my week promising to get back to my exercise regimen and start eating right so I can drop some of these unwanted pounds, but I have not committed to climbing out of bed at 4 a.m. so I can get to the gym before I head for the plantation.  And by the middle of the day, I am so frustrated that I just want to head over to Dunkin' Donuts and buy a half dozen of those chocolate glazed cake donuts.  And at 320 calories a pop, that kind of behavior is just really counterproductive - to say the least.

The truth of the matter is that I have just not been motivated.  With the holidays here and me trying desperately to stretch my dollars to make sure that there are gifts under the tree for my loved ones, I have become increasingly disgusted by my financial situation.  And I do not want to pour that kind of energy into this blog.  Earlier this year I wrote that I was only giving myself one more year to make a go out of Sorta Kinda Enterprises.  And after the less-than-stellar reception by retailers of my spring collection, I am feeling disconnected from my dream and beginning to wonder if this may very well be the end of an era that was filled with some triumphs, but mostly struggles.  I have almost always felt certain about my path in fashion - like the universe had called me to this career.  And although I have not yet counted myself out, I cannot help but start to wonder after 12 years if I have been on some crazy vanity ride.  I told my sister, Ashanti, who is also one of my partners in fashion crime that I have been put in a place of total surrender.  In the past, I have done everything outside of magic tricks to keep up the momentum of getting the Wilbur brand off the ground.  Any one who has known me during the last decade and change, knows that it's the truth.  But at this point, the well has run dry of all resources.  So as my church folks say, "I've got to let go and let God."  To that end, we are working with Nakeisha Jennings of Prime Planners who does brand building and raises money through corporate sponsorships.  She has quite a Rolodex at her fingertips and I am praying that she is the key to finishing and presenting my fall 2011 collection "Eye Candy" this coming March.



Wilbur & Kitty Kat are all smiles at the wedding reception of A & R



My dream has sustained me all these years.  Fashion saved me from a life without purpose.  And whatever the outcome, I know that there is something better around the bend.  I am wishing all my readers a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.  I am going to take a moment and revitalize my spirit and try to refresh myself so that I can be better prepared for this part of my fashion crusade.  See you in 2011!

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!