Thursday, March 22, 2012

Blogger Spotlight: Rip The Runway

The Breakdown

In honor of Spring I wore a bright orange suit from H & M that retails for a mere $150 to BET Rip The Runway.

There is a lot you can do with a bright colored suit. At 1st my mind went to color blocking and I was going to wear a fitted green crew neck tee and some colorful Cole Haan brogues, but decided to tone the vibrant color down with earth tones. Already in my closet, I paired the suit with this Target lapel vest, J C Penny hounds tooth printed shirt, and a thrifted tie. I decided not to opt for my usual mixing of assorted bracelets because of the other accessory elements I wore, so I just wore a single beaded bracelet. The handkerchief is a piece of material I got at a fabric store. I actually reversed its original pattern to get the hue of a muted green color to complete this look. With a simple folding technique and an iron I placed it in my jacket pocket for a crisp tailored look. Read my post of dressing up while dressing down that goes more in depth on the topic.

To carry my importants, I toted a Louis Vuitton briefcase.

Again there are a lot of choices when adding elements to a bright suit. I decided to keep it simple and rock a pair of distressed Clark desert boots to tone down the look. To add a few styling elements, I cuffed my pants and threw on a pair of stripped socks I got from Urban Ourfitters to bring in all the colors. The socks actually inspired this color story.

Again to keep it causal, I wore a fedora hat I got from Forever 21 Men. The khaki fabric strip added to the earth tones of my attire.

Due to me wearing a vest, I decided to play with time periods and rock a pocket watch. Ironically I've had this watch for years and have never worn it. I got the face from an estate sale back when I was in college. On the day of Rip The Runway taping, I went to a hardware store in Harlem, NYC to purchase a key chain to link the watch.

To get the watch to stay in place I used a past item of the week to attach the chain to my tie.

This was the ending result of the look I was wanting to accomplish.

Time is indeed money but as you see you don't have to spend a lot of money to look rich.

The After Party
I switched up my after party look slightly by taking off my vest and adding a house key tie clip I made. I also switched my bracelets.

Selita Ebanks and I

Mobile Uploads

Selita is a character

Pooch Hall and I

My date for the night, publicist Trina Page.

Great minds think differently but with similar goals. Suit Inspiration Kanye West.

All and all I had a great time that night!

Rip The Runway MENSWEAR RUNDOWN

I had the pleasure of attending the 2012 BET Rip the Runway at the Hammerstein Ballroom inside the Manhattan Center hosted by Pooch Hall and Selita Ebanks. The fashion show aired last night night (March 21) and the spectacle of designer threads was supported by a live soundtrack, where rappers and R&B artists performed today's hottest tracks as models strutted down the catwalk. Here's the break down on all the male fashion:

The Looks: (Disclaimer: Photos were taken from BET.com/riptherunway which prevented re-sizing)

Red Carpet Ready
My favorite segment had to be the "Red Carpet Ready". We were introduced to a new male designer, Andre Nowell as we watched male models showcase his trendy tuxedos. I like when designers put a new twist on traditionally pieces. The entire purpose of a fashion show is for models to make you want the designer pieces they are showcasing and let's just say I've already contacted Nowell.

Notice the material on this tux jacket. Nowell took a new approach to a tailed tuxedo jacket. The stylist also accessorized the model's jacket lapel with brooches.

Check out the inverted tuxedo strip on these trousers. Styled with a pair of Deltoro velvet slippers with no socks, this look is classic.

This spring nude will be a big color on less traditional red carpets. With the BET and MTV Music Awards both coming up, I'll be watching to see who takes this fashion forward look to the next level.

My favorite look from this segment was the blue check tux styled with matching shirt and black sneakers. I would wear this all day, everyday!

It's refreshing to see Rip the Runway really pay attention to men's style this year to break off from just the normal urban wear. I appreciate that and for introducing us to this new up and coming menswear designer.

Luxe Mode for Men
Serenaded by London singer/sonwritter Estelle's "Back to Love", Models walked in designers Black Apple NYC, Rock Smith NYC, Crooks and Castles NYC, and Akoo. The shoe game on this segment was sick. Designers ranged from Andriod Homme, Supra, Cr8Rec by Creative Recreation, and Alexander McQueen for Puma.

Fashion Freedom

Rip the Runway kicked it up a notch with a high fashion segment. Designer Asher Levine showcased two male designs. Models walked to DJ Arab Music's ecliptic beats.

These shoes are by Dr. Martin and custom designed by Levine.

New Kids on the Block

This segment ushered in a new generation of eclectic style with hip hop sensibility. Models kept it trendy for the spring in featured designers Nouveau, LavieNY, and Scout Original.

Make Cents

Lil' Kim brought down house in her comeback performance as models wore clothing that won't break the bank. A good site to check out a lot of these inspired looks is http://stuffflypeoplelike.com/.