Even if you’re not a fan of the mismatch of patterns and textures, you can’t deny that this model, Betty Adewole, is “werking” in this picture. Maybe you’d never step out in the street in these clothes, but you can’t help but be drawn in by the colors. This photo is rich, it’s vibrant, it’s avant garde, darling. Check out the rest of Adewole’s colorful spread at our sister site Styleblazer.com.

We promise you won’t be bored.

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Tika Sumpter as Raina Thorpe on The CW's Gossip Girl

Actress, Tika Sumpter, possesses a fashion sense that is as HOT as her resume is turning out to be!

Some may believe she should quit her day job, but she keeps snagging amazing roles! If you’re into daytime soap operas, then you may remember her as Layla Williamson on One Life to Live. Last season, she had a recurring role on Gossip Girl as revenge-seeking Raina Thorpe and could also be found on BET’s The Game as Jenna Rice, the pretty model who captured Malik’s heart. As of right now, she is starring in a remake of the classic movie Sparkle (currently in production), so it’s clear that Sumpter must be doing something right.

Whether you prefer her as a model or an actress, one fact everyone should be able to agree on is that this girl can wear some clothes! She also dresses for real women. Some stars wear ensembles that are only fitting for Hollywood types (and Hollywood-type money). Yet, Tika’s outfits are so versatile, there’s something for everyone to be inspired by and to add to their closet. As a signature, her shapely figure loves to showoff high hemlines, body-hugging garments and loads of color! Not to mention, her gorgeous complexion always looks pristine and her makeup stays flawless!  Peep our favorite looks rocked by the stylish star and get inspired!

After pics of model Chanel Iman getting cozy with Kanye continued to pop up on the internet, it didn’t take long for rumors of a relationship to start circulating. Despite what looks like hardcore evidence of a budding romance, the Victoria Secret Angel told Us Weekly she’s not dating the Louis Vuitton don:

We’re really close, we’re cool. We’ve been really tight since I first started modeling actually. Rumors are rumors. I think Kanye is a great artist, he’s very talented, I’ve always loved his music.

“He’s an incredible performer. He’s really cool, he’s always had my back when I have to get in those Kanye West concerts. I always got in no problem. Backstage, no problem. I have the most respect for him, he has the most respect for me.

We already know Kanye has a thing for models. Do you think Chanel Iman is telling the truth or will Kanye be cuffing her soon? Truth be told, they don’t look as good together as Kanye West and Tracee Ellis Ross… But Tracee is taken. Could this couple work?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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The Versailles models of 1973 were honored last night at the Huffington Post Game Changers Awards last night. Why is this important and who are the Versailles models, you ask?

The 11 African-Americans models were part of the legendary Grand Divertissement à Versailles fashion show held in 1973 at the Palace of Versailles to raise money for its restoration. It featured 5 American designers (Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, and African-American designer Stephen Burrows) and 5 French designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior’s head designer Marc Bohan, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin.

Back then, it was rare to see Black women modeling on the catwalk but the American designers decided to take advantage of the international spotlight and make a statement about diversity. They hired 11 Black models to walk their shows, while the French used not a single one.

Those 11 include Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, Billie Blair, Jennifer Brice, Alva Chinn, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Barbara Jackson, China Machado, Ramona Saunders, and Amina Warsuma.

Even though diversity on the runway has improved over the years, just how much has it improved? There are still cries over the lack of diversity in the fashion industry. Chime in Madames!

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Who are the Versailles models of 1973?

Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, Billie Blair, Jennifer Brice, Alva Chinn, Norma Jean Darden, Charlene Dash, Barbara Jackson, China Machado, Ramona Saunders, and Amina Warsuma.

These eleven models took part in the legendary Grand Divertissement à Versailles fashion show held in 1973 at the Palace of Versailles. The show was organized to raise money for the restoration of the palace. It was designed as a true fashion throw-down between five American designers (Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Anne Klein, and African-American designer Stephen Burrows) and five French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior’s head designer Marc Bohan, Hubert de Givenchy, Emanuel Ungaro and Pierre Cardin).

Since American fashion wasn’t the powerhouse it is today, this was the perfect opportunity for the American designers to make a big impression. And they did. By making a conscious decision to include black models in their presentation (while the French used none) the designers sent a clear message through their clothing and the diverse women modeling them that American fashion was a force and not going anywhere. In addition, the eleven African American models served as an example of the beauty of diversity and ultimately paved the way for black beauties such as Iman, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks to emerge as supermodels.

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Sponsored By:

“I think I reflect a lot of African beauty. I am African. And I am beautiful.” -Oluchi Onweagba

Oluchi Onweagba is a supermodel who has been called “the face of Africa.” Born in Nigeria, she was launched into her international fashion career almost by accident after winning a South African beauty competition. Ever since then Onweagba has graced the runways of the world and posed for top brands like Victoria’s Secret, representing African beauty all the way. Now a successful business woman, Oluchi has launched her own modeling agency in her native land and is using her wealth and power to help others through charity. Talk about representing the greatness of our native continent! Oluchi Onweagba is gorgeous both inside and out, and shows the world how wonderful black women are all over the world. Women of the African diaspora — let’s reconnect and bond over our mutual grandeur! Oluchi is an inspiring role model who shows us how to take pride in the connections we share.

Have a wonderful day Madame Noire lovies! You are beautiful!

Sponsored By:

“Take responsibility for yourself because no one’s going to take responsibility for you.” – Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks is a rare model of any color who has been able to successfully transform herself after the end of her career on the catwalk. From TV to the online world, Ms. Banks has certainly taken responsibility for her life and career, using her talents and hard work to make new opportunities for herself. Now with the success of her first novel, “Modelland,” Tyra is truly showing the world that there is no limit to what you can do if you patiently apply yourself. Do you take total responsibility for your success? I bet that if you look at the details of your life with a caring but critical eye, you will find many ways in which you can make a deeper investment in your future by taking on a little more responsibility. Tyra Banks is a wonderful example of how you can make the most of your present skills by applying yourself to your goals for your own benefit in a positive way.

Stay inspired Madame Noire women!  Have a wonderful day.

by Selam Aster

There’s a reason that accusing someone of “saying one thing and doing another” is such a popular insult. It encapsulates being fake, hypocritical, and inauthentic. And unfortunately, that applies to the uber-producer and artist Kanye West. I’ve never taken him too seriously. I know that as much as he will stand up for Black victims of Hurricane Katrina one day, he’ll turn around and worship at the temple of the Kardashians the next. He’s inconsistent, I get that.

But amid the heels of the very political and black power sentiments in “Watch The Throne,”a collabo with Mr. All-Black himself Jay-Z, West’s blatant ignorance of his power and influence as evidenced in his debut fashion show at Paris Fashion Week is disturbing. Out of about 12 models who donned his women’s wear line, there were only two black faces. Seriously. Seriously??

It’s amazing that something so simple as expressing your supposed love of black culture by hiring your sistas to represent on the runway is lost on Mr. West. To him I say: you can talk about changing the world all day, you can rap about police discrimination all day, about how you were unfairly berated for insulting Taylor swift because you’re a black man, etc, but when it comes down to it, you’re just another gatekeeper yourself. Your small actions are just as important as your bold lyrics. And in this case, you could’ve made a small yet influential decision by telling (because you are indeed the boss) your fashion scout to hire black models.

West’s lack of action and indifference makes me question if all his sentiments about race amount to little more than adding a surprise factor to his music. On one of WTT’s best tracks, “Murder to Excellence,” Yaye raps about the lack of Black figures at the top:

Yeah it’s all messed up when it’s nowhere to go
So we won’t take the time out ’til we reach the T-O-P
From parolees to hold G’s, sold keys, low keys
We like the promised land of the OG’s
In the past if you picture events like a black tie
What the last thing you expect to see, black guys?

Hmm…what’s the last thing you expect to see on the runway Yeezy? Black girls. But yeah, you could’ve changed that reality by speaking a few words.

What do you think? Should we take Yeezy’s lyrics to heart? Or should we just accept it as entertainment?

(CNN) — Can beauty be defined by age, gender, color, body shape or size? Who gets to decide?  Multibillion-dollar beauty and fashion industries both shape and depend on the cult-like worship of what physical attributes the public sees as beautiful. And most women feel the effects of those decisions.  The photo exhibition “Beauty Culture” at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles, with 175 pictures by iconic photographers, is aimed at starting people thinking and talking about female beauty. It also peeks into the underbelly of the beauty industry, including its relation to celebrity, plastic surgery, the faux-perfection of airbrushing of advertising and even child beauty pageants.  There are a lot of hot-button issues as to how the media and the beauty and fashion worlds depict whole groups of people, why they show them in a particular way or barely notice them at all.  However, there’s been a major shift when it comes to diversity in beauty advertising and magazine beauty editorial spreads.

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For 16 cycles we’ve had the opportunity to see the fashion and beauty dreams of young women all over the country built and broken on the CW network’s America’s Next Top Model (ANTM).  In case you’ve been living your life under a frumpy, unfashionable rock, ANTM is a result of the creative genius of former fashion model, media personality and business woman Tyra Banks (warning this article will be extremely biased since Ty Ty Baby is a patron saint in my eyes).  The show premiered in May 2003 when the network was still known as the UPN network.  ANTM managed to survive the network’s drastic changes, one of them being eliminating many shows featuring people of color.

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