Khalilah Williams-Webb, stylist, image consultant, and owner of Shirley + Alice

Baltimore, Maryland native Khalilah Williams-Webb is known for bringing style to the sidelines. She styles some of sports’ biggest names in the game (and fashion), most notably Carmelo Anthony. But Khalilah is more than that, much more. When she’s not hunting for size 14 shoes and extra-long trousers she works as a stylist for power players like Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price, and an image consultant for brands like Samsung and Foot Locker. Most recently she took on the role of shopkeeper at her new boutique, Shirley + Alice, (named for her fashionable grandmothers) in the legendary neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. She’s come a long way from cocktail waitressing and working the floor at Express and Tommy Hilfiger.

We caught up with Khalilah to learn more about what propels her success and the motivation behind her new retail venture.

Madame Noire: Where does your love for fashion come from?

Khalilah Williams-Webb: My mother and my grandmothers. As a young child, they use to bring me along with them as they shopped; shopping and dressing me up as a child! It honestly came so naturally because I grew up around it!

MN: You’re widely known for styling Carmelo Anthony, but you have a lot going on! Describe what your brand entails and what guides you when pursuing new ventures.

KW: My brand entails styling, imaging consulting, and running a my new boutique. But most importantly, maintaining my image as a great mom, wife, and family figure. When pursuing new ventures I love to be challenged.

MN: With so many ventures pulling from your creativity, how do you stay inspired to come up with fresh ideas?

KW: I strongly believe in taking  time out to refresh and rebuild!  But I also do a lot of research and draw inspiration from old movies, magazines, etc. I also have to give credit to my great team. We collectively come up with creative ideas to be ahead of the game.

MN: What prompted you to make the move into retail?

KW: It has been a dream of mine to open a vintage store since I moved to NYC two years ago.When my husband Richard and I found out we were expecting a baby,  I made the decision to slow down with styling, and to put my energy into my love for vintage. I began hosting trunk shows, first in my husband’s gallery, “House of Art”,  then in a mansion converted to a school (the ambiance was perfect). I started to realize with the amount of inventory I amassed and the demand, I needed a storefront.

MN: Do you approach styling men differently than dressing women?

KW: My approach to styling is no different. I make to adhere to what the client is looking for, and put my own twist to it.

MN: How is Shirley + Alice different from the other vintage boutiques that populate Brooklyn?

KW: I wanted a boutique that had a cozy and homely feel; as if  you are playing dress up at your girlfriends house or your mother’s closet as we all did as a kid. A place where you could feel welcome, have a glass of wine, conversation and do what women want to do most — shop! I want it to be an experience, not just a place to buy a piece of clothing.

Source: Glamour

From StyleBlazer

You may not know all of these ladies by name just yet, but they are poised to take Hollywood by storm faster than Twitter’s next trending topic. Glamour rounded up the latest batch of “It” girls for a feature/tutorial, “Hollywood’s Next Big Things.” Talented actresses like Revenge star Ashley Madekwe have already made an impact with their fashion, but she’s ready for so much more. In her handwritten questionnaire, Ashley dubbed herself the next Eartha Kitt. That’s one legendary path to follow!

Other faves include Pretty Little Liars star (and dope fashionista in her own right) Kat Graham, and Dominican actress Dania Ramirez.

Who’s got next?

Read and see more at StyleBlazer.com

The weather is warm, the beach is popping and we’ve all puled out our summer shorts. But should we be wearing them? Summertime is one of the most exciting fashion seasons. But it can bring out the worst in your wardrobe. Before you head to the mall this weekend, check out some of these summertime don’ts.

Nowadays, the Web is awash with fashion and style blogs covering every aspect of every niche. But back in 2005, traditional glossy mags reigned supreme, and most folks were still adjusting to the Internet as a viable vehicle for delivering consistent, quality content.

Always ahead of the curve, Kimberly Stone, founder of POSHGLAM, decided to turn to the World Wide Web into a means of connecting with and promoting up-and-coming New York designers who had yet to break into Vogue and Marie Claire.

Today, POSHGLAM is a thriving business, thanks to Stone’s ability to pinpoint the rising brands and translate her passion for fashion into cold, hard cash. Here, she shares how other women can do it, too. (To check out Stone’s other endeavors, click here.)

MadameNoire: The core component of your business is the POSHGLAM site/blog. Is it still possible for entrepreneurs to start successful, money-making blogs, given the sheer amount of competition?

Kimberly Stone: I definitely feel it’s plausible; blogs are really just content marketing machines. If there’s a market for a particular niche or genre, why not? I’m very supportive of everyone garnering an online/offline voice. Blogs are great for networking, leveraging relationships and catalyzing disruptive conversations around interesting topics with new perspectives.

MN: How did you establish POSHGLAM as a credible voice in the style and fashion industry at the outset, making it possible for you to partner with other brands and designers?

KS: To be honest, [it took] a ton of grunt work. Bloggers are married to their posts. Early on, you must be determined to capture an audience, inform them, entertain them and befriend them as your own. It’s very important to forge a connection, while also reinforcing your blog’s core competencies and thrilling your readers on a daily basis.

Source: H&M

Beyoncé is known for trying to do away with unflattering photos of herself, but recent reports regarding her Mrs. Carter campaign with H&M seem a bit outlandish, even for King Bey. According to The Sun the “Grown Woman” singer is beefing with the multi-natonal clothing company over the bikini shots from her summer ad campaign because she believes they photoshopped the images to make her hips and curves to appear smaller.

“When Beyonce found out they had edited the way her body really looked, she hit the roof,” a source told The Sun.

“She’s a true diva and was furious that she had been given such a snubbing. Her people refused to give the pictures the green light so H&M were forced to use the originals,” the insider continued.

According to People Style Watch, H&M reps say that this couldn’t be further from the truth, insisting that both parties were pleased with the final images.

“Beyoncé was our only choice for this campaign and we were delighted when she said yes. Our goal has always been to portray Beyoncé as the strong and beautiful woman she is. It has been a wonderful working process and a close cooperation. Both parties are happy with the final images.”

Ironically, H&M’s CEO, Karl-Johan Persson spoke to Metro earlier this week about using curvier models and wanting the brand exhibit diversity.

“We want to show diversity in our advertising and not give people the impression that girls have to look a particular way. We have a huge responsibility here. We’re a large company, many people see us, and we advertise a lot. In some cases, there are models where we say, ‘H&M doesn’t work with such models.’ So we’re not blind to the issue. But I have to be honest and say that some of our models have been too skinny. That’s not OK,” Persson expressed.

And there you have it!

Thoughts?

C. Winters/WENN.com

From Essence

Beyoncé is pairing her Sasha Fierce style with affordable prices in her new partnership with Rent The Runway.

The online boutique provides inexpensive, high fashion apparel from over 100 designers and will now offer selections from the Beyoncé Boutique.

Handpicked by Queen Bey, some of the items include glitzy gowns, body con dresses and vibrant accessories starting at $50. 

The singer says she hopes to bring her passion for fashion to the everyday woman.

“Making women feel confident and beautiful is something I’ve always been passionate about,” says Beyoncé.

That might be kind of cool. When Rent the Runway first stepped on the scene, people were really skeptical about it. But, they have pushed on and are extremely popular. If you’ve ever checked out their site, you’ll notice they really do have some awesome clothing available. While you might not want to make it a habit of renting clothes, there’s nothing wrong with doing it when you need the “perfect” outfit for that one special even.

You can read what else Bey had to say about partnering with Rent The Runway over on essence.com.

Have you ever rented clothes from Rent The Runway? If not, would you consider it if you really needed something fly and your pockets didn’t allow you to purchase it as your own or you just didn’t want to part with the money?

Source: WENN

From StyleBlazer

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, especially when it comes to the web and the world of fashion. These 12 entrepreneurs have given back to the fashion, beauty and creative communities in major ways and we think they’re worth noting. Whether you’re looking for your next stroke of genius or hoping to change the game, take a cue from Tumblr founder David Karp who shows it’s never too early to get a head start!

Martha Reeves, from Martha an the Vandellas, at the 2011 festival. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

This summer the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will feature a five-year research project entitled “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” The project garners its inspiration from urban hubs like Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, Oakland, Calif., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Students and faculty of African-American universities extended their assistance to the Smithsonian staff by helping document the fashion of African Americans through interviews, photographs, and field work.

Here’s what Diana N’Diaye, program curator had to say about the exhibition: “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists…the way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be. This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”

The program features 40 participants and will occupy three tents, each devoted to different aspects of the program. The Collaborative Research Tent allows visitors to speak with researchers and artisans, the Design Studio Tent will allow visitors to see different fashion styles from different communities and the Rock the Runway Tent will feature fashion shows for visitor to view.

This Smithsonian Folklife Festival will be held Wednesday, June 26 through Sunday, June 30 and Wednesday, July 3 through Sunday July 7 at the National Mall. The events are free and last from 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day followed by concerts and dance parties starting at 6 p.m.

The event will also feature two other programs, “Hungarian Heritage: Roots to Revival” and “One World, Many Voices: Endangered Languages and Cultural Heritage.” If you’re in the DC area this sounds like something worth experiencing this summer.

Source: AP

Every award show we know there are going to be some hits, some misses, and some WTF were they thinkings when it comes to red carpet fashion (that was our nice way of saying bold in the headline). This year’s 2013 Billboard Music Awards were no different. Check out the best and the most interesting outfits we saw.

via ABC

From StyleBlazer

It’s no secret that we have “Scandal” fever along with the rest of the world! In honor of this Thursday’s season finale we decided to take a little trip down memory lane and spotlight the fabulous Olivia Pope’s best looks.

Take a look at the 15 choices for Ms. Pope’s finest looks from Season 2 on StyleBlazer.com