After debuting her full song, “Grown Woman,” to the world this week while performing in Paris for the Mrs. Carter World Tour, it’s clear Beyoncé and her team have some more tricks up their sleeves, as her new promo “commercial” for H&M has been released right after. Introduced as “Beyoncé as Mrs. Carter in H&M,” it comes off more like a music video than anything to be honest, especially with all the elaborate dance sequences and the luau-ish scene at the end. But alas, it’s fab nonetheless.

Sporting both her regular blonde locks, but also sporting a black wig just to mix things up for a change, the singer winded and played in the sand rocking some hot looks from her collaboration with the retailer, including swimsuits, and body-con dresses. And of course, she debuts a new song from her upcoming album (which we still haven’t heard about a release date for) called “Standing in the Sun.” It’s definitely a nice jam for summer from what we can tell, well, so far, but what we know for sure is that she’s definitely selling those clothes!

Check out the campaign ad, which comes off as a fancier 2013 version of the “Baby Boy” video below and let us know what you think?

iStockphoto

When it comes to office attire, your wardrobe needs to be on point. You can’t just go into the boardroom wearing any old thing and expect to be taken seriously. Unfortunately in this game – image is everything with potential clients and investors coming to a conclusion of who you are by how you look.

So what does this mean – we need to go into debt looking good? By all means no! Many women are quite savvy in the fashion department and know how to make pieces work to their benefit. Still, it’s important to know which stores are available for affordable office attire. If you happen to be on the search for staples, you may want to consider these stores.

PETA activists in India dress up for Earth Day. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Remember the time of old-fashioned home cleanings in bleach, slicking back our ponytails in Ampro Pro Style gel and cooking our grandma’s best recipes in Crisco? When Earth Day, recycling, or buying more eco-friendly products never crossed our minds (or our neighborhood stores)? In 2013, there are various ways to help out your environment with a plethora of products that could help the Earth and possibly your health.

In celebration of Earth Day (check out the special Google Doodle for today), MN Biz rounds up ten eco-friendly products we love on our heads, in our homes, and on our plates. Enjoy!

After confirming that she is the face of H&M’s summer campaign and releasing a sultry shot of the singer in the Bahamas rocking pieces by the retailer inspired by her style, Beyoncé has put us in thirst-for-summer-mode with a full range of photos released by H&M that show off her sick body and mad cute swimsuits. The shots were taken by photography team Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Looking like Mama Tina, the singer strikes a number of poses in a variety of clothes that the summer line will have to offer, including swimsuits (obviously), beach loungwear, dresses (including bodycon joints) and more.

According to Ann-Sofie Johansson, (via The Daily Mail) head designer for H&M, the looks will not disappoint:

“In the campaign Beyoncé is wearing the key pieces from H&M you need for life in the sun this summer. There’s the perfect bodycon dress, as well as a flowing sun dress that makes a real statement. And of course there are the bikinis, especially the fringed bikini. What makes these pieces even more special is that Beyoncé herself had input into the design, and they are full of her own personal style.”

Say what you want about the woman, but we all know that body is looking right. I’m trying to hit up the gym right now! Look out for these pieces in more in stores come May.

Check out more pictures from the campaign on the next page!

Feeling it?

Photos courtesy of H&M and The Daily Mail

A few months back we told you that pictures were circulating (and back up dancers were letting word spill) that Beyoncé could possibly be the new face of H&M, and as the first picture from the retailer’s campaign drops, as you can see, the reports were correct. Laying on a lounge chair getting her peek-a-boo on in a tank, sateen swim shorts and slingback heels in the Bahamas, the singer showcases a look that stans and just regular H&M lovers will be able to pick up come summertime.

According to Vogue, the pieces that will be available will be inspired by the singer’s style and will be swim and beach wear. Both the company and Knowles say that she actually offered her personal input on the creation of different looks. For her, working with the retailer was a treat since she claims to have been a fan of their affordable fashion over the years.

“I’ve always liked H&M’s focus on fun affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements – fire, water, earth and wind. It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial.”

The advertisements (both print and TV ads), which will feature new music from her in commercials, will introduce the pieces saying, “Beyoncé as Mrs Carter in H&M” as a way to push her upcoming tour. Creative Director of H&M, Donald Schneider spoke further about having the chance to work with the singer and changing the fashions we will see this summer:

“H&M’s summer campaign starring Beyoncé is an epic fantasy, with glamour, drama and also a sense of paradise,” said Donald Schneider, H&M’s creative director. “It was amazing to watch her on the shoot make it all look effortless – a quality that makes her such an icon for women around the world. The campaign is the essence of Beyoncé, and also the essence of H&M this summer.”

Will you be checking out these looks this summer? 

Debra Messing, Michael Kors and Kate Upton were just some of the celebs making the rounds during FNO. This was taken at his East Side store. Image: Aaron Showalter, New York Daily News

Last night, the world celebrated shopping. It was Fashion’s Night Out, the evening that fashionistas of all levels can head out into the streets of cities around the globe and expect to see celebrities, get free booze, stand in line for stuff and maybe even buy a thing or two.

FNO (as all the cool kids call it) started in 2009, after the economic collapse led to a drop in sales for clothing and accessories. At that time, Vogue editor Anna Wintour wanted to spur spending. Now, it serves more as an exercise in audience participation for the much more exclusive Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. And thousands of people surely did come out, clogging the streets and packing the stores.

Image: Tonya Garcia

Along 34th Street in Manhattan, signs invited people in to shops to celebrate. But it was when you got to Herald Square that the party really started. We walked past a stage with loud music (but minimal dancing) on the way into Macy’s, which had events on seemingly every floor.

At 7:30, fashion designer and Project Runway judge Michael Kors was meant to make an appearance, but at that time, the MC was still announcing names for people that, as best we can tell, had won some sort of raffle. Note: The photo above was taken at Kors’ East Side shop, not at Macy’s. We never actually got to see him, though we did take a look at his line of shoes. We asked a woman standing in line whether she was waiting to meet the designer.

“I think so,” she responded. So theoretically, she could’ve just been standing in line for her health. But whatever. Everyone was just happy to be there.

It should also be noted that people, some in large groups, were strutting about the second floor dressed like they were heading to the club to pop bottles in the VIP section. Or wait behind the velvet rope in the hopes of getting to the VIP section. One or the other.

High off of the many squirts of perfume that were fired my way as I left Macy’s, I thought it would be a good idea to head over to a Target pop-up store in the Meatpacking District, which featured the five special collections available this fall. After zipping through the line to get in (Hugo Boss, Diane von Furstenberg and other high-end shops in the neighborhood had lines that were at a standstill), I waited in line to get into the Kirna Zabete shop to look at the women’s fashions, which were very nice, though I couldn’t find my size. All around were people grabbing free bottles of soda, moving to the music (FNO is a big night for DJs, who were spinning everywhere) and chattering blissfully. Over at Odin, the men’s shop, things were much more calm.

Image: Tonya Garcia

“It was packed before,” a salesman told me. “That’s because men know how to shop. They get in and get out.”

Interestingly, the one place where there wasn’t a line was at the cash registers (see right), where we only saw a couple of people actually making a purchase. I was told on the way in that there was a limit of five items per customer, but it looks like there was a lot more cola consumption than actual purchasing.

Also interesting, at least to me, I did manage to get a couple of things from H&M, which offered 30 percent off of the item of your choice, special for FNO. There has always been the question of whether FNO is more for window shopping, freebies and celeb spotting than actual sales, but, according to reporting by Reuters, the organizers of the event declare it a repeated success.

“Data from NYC & Company found that two thirds of stores who participated in 2011 and responded to their survey said store traffic increased as a result of the night,” the article says.

“What happens is there’s a big bump in the stores the following week or 10 days after that. People go and they see … and then they go back to the stores and buy what they want the next day,” the story quotes George Fertitta, head of NYC & Company, the New York’s marketing and tourism group.

Click here for more celebrity images from the New York Daily News. And visit our friends at Styleblazer for additional coverage of Fashion’s Night Out.

Over the weekend, I checked out Montrelle Green’s post on MN called Phat and Fabulous: Our Top 10 Plus Size Clothing Sites, and I got kind of excited…and a bit depressed at the same time. Excited to finally have some good leads on nice clothing for women over a certain size, but a bit depressed that it seems the only place I can find this clothing is online.

It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping. Since I started my new workout routine and sort of a healthy diet, which includes working out regularly, cutting out all the sodas, juices and other sugar-laden drinks and preparing 90 percent of my meals at home, I am proud to say that I have lost a couple of inches around my waist. Unfortunately, it also means that most of my clothing is a little too big for me. So to celebrate my slimming physique, I decided to splurge and buy a new outfit, or two – or five for the summer.

So this past Saturday, I got in my car and headed straight to the mall, ready and willing to burn through my paycheck and leave with a couple of bags of new gear. My first stop was at H&M. I was sifting through the racks, picking and choosing what items I wanted to try on when I noticed that at this particular H&M, none of the garments had sizes larger than a size 12. Now I know I haven’t been shopping in a while, but I do recall that the store used to have larger sizes. “Maybe this 12 compartmentalizes sizes where a “large” now means 12 and above?” At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I loaded my arms up with all the size 12 garments I could find. Can’t give up hope, right?

So I found a pair of hot pink linen capris and some seafoam green skinny jean pants that I really wanted to fit. Imagining all the color and style options I could have if any or both of these pants were graciously enough to be incorporated into my wardrobe, I kept pulling at the fabric, hoping that the two-percent spandex would be enough to maneuver the pants over this size 14 frame. However, when I got into the dressing room, I was in for a rude awakening. The seafoam green skinny jeans were a complete disaster. I couldn’t even get them up past my thighs. And the hot pink capris? Well, I got them up, but they were so tight that you could see every dimple in my a**, and I was wearing underwear.

Disappointed but not dejected. I left the H&M and headed to a few more stores. Perhaps this was just a fluke. We all know that the average size of women in the US ranges between 12-14, so maybe the other average size ladies got there before I did and bought out the store. It happens. But after the third store, I kept running into the same situation. Most of the department stores I went in had sizes extra small up to large, and while the large was size 12, it actually fit like a size 8 or smaller. Suddenly, I no longer felt actively welcome in the mall. So I took my paycheck and we went home.

Source: StyleBlazer.com

From StyleBlazer.com

International fast fashion retailer H&M has rolled out their summer campaign for 2012.Rocking the looks are well tanned and super taut Brazilian models that look as if they were born in a bikini. The collection is fairly diverse, offering tons of prints and bikinis, monokinis and even a surfer-style color-blocked wetsuit. While this mega-store hasn’t rolled out an American e-commerce site as yet, you can see the entire swimwear line up close, in detail and marvel at their too-good to be real prices here. Starting at just $4.95 a piece for bikini tops and tops and $14.95 for a monokini, you may never have to repeat a swimsuit again.

Check out the rest of the collection at StyleBlazer.com. 

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shows.ctv.ca

NBC’s new reality competition show Fashion Star isn’t just helping aspiring designers find a footing in the fashion industry. It’s also bringing to light the accomplishments and leadership roles held by women of color in major retail companies nationwide.

“As a black woman starting out in the corporate retail environment, it was quite discerning to see that there were very few people, specifically women, who looked like me making senior executive decisions regarding the business,” Erica Milton, a corporate employee of one major retailer said to Huffington Post.

The show, which premiered on Wednesday night, showcases two of the women making executive moves in the retail industry. Hosted by Elle MacPherson, it features Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos as mentors for aspiring designers on the show. But while these celebrities may be the official mentors on the show, women of color can look to Caprice Williard and Nicole Christie as true aspirations for their professional goals.

Williard is the Vice President/Regional Planning Manager for Women’s Apparel for Macy’s Southwest region and serves as the featured buyer for Macy’s on the show. She has almost 18 years of experience in retail starting as an executive trainee at Macy’s and now as a vice president.

Nicole Christie, the head manager of US communications for H&M, is the featured representative for the store on the show. She too worked her way up through the company, first as a sales manager at of the H&M’s first stores and now as a national spokesperson.

As Milton says, “Now to have a nationally syndicated show shine light on women of color making power decisions for some of the top retailers in the country, its more than eye opening, it’s extremely encouraging.”

Women’s bodies have gone from needing extreme photoshopping to be considered attractive in magazines, catalogs, and any other medium, to not being acceptable at all. H&M has admitted that the bodies of most of the models featured on its website are computer-generated and “completely virtual.” Don’t worry–the heads are real, when they remember to include them.

As Jezebel points out in their story, what’s next? Pretty soon women’s faces won’t be considered attractive enough. There’s already plenty of digital alteration to make women’s cheek bones higher, or their nose thinner, or their eyes further apart, why not just create virtual faces we all can aspire to have and never achieve, too. Although H&M has exposed it’s dirty little digitally altered secret, I don’t consider this truth in advertising. If you want to sell women clothing online—especially a bathing suit—we should at least be able to see what it looks like on a real body.  I’m even curious how the models must feel when they see even their bodies aren’t deemed good enough to sell the company’s clothes. Is there any wonder why women struggle so much with self esteem?

Do you think H&M has gone too far by using computer-generated bodies for models? Is this a sign that advertising trends will continue to lean towards more photoshopping rather than less, despite the push-back from consumers? Does this make you not want to buy H&M’s clothes?

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

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