HEAVEN'S R&B PRINCESS: AALIYAH THE FASHION ICON

The name Aaliyah is an Arabic name derived from the male version Ali. It means highest, most exalted one, the best. 

Nicknames: Babygirl, Wonderwoman, Liyah 

The late Aaliyah laid to her final rest on August 25, 2001. 

I don't aim to remember her in sadness, only to celebrate her as a musician and fashion icon.

Aaliyah “Dana” Haughton,(Dana being given by her grandmother) is a sacred gem to the R&B and hip hop industries. She has paved the way for artists like Ciara, Keyshia Chante, and Keri Hilson. She is truly a star and has caused weeping days for many of her collaborators.

This Brooklyn born Capricorn was raised in Detroit, MI. She took voice lesson from her mother, Diane Haugton and went on to the 80's show Star Search where she definitely showed her talents. At the tender age of eleven she performed with her aunt Gladys Knight. 

While in high school she landed a major record deal that allowed her to have an album produced by Robert Kelly (R. Kelly) which boasted hits like "Back & Forth", "Age Ain't Nothing But A Number", and "At Your Best(You Are Love)." From this moment on she went on to become a trendy icon with her tomboy yet girly urban style. She was even featured in a Tommy Hilfiger Ad. She was known for wearing baggy jeans, a bandanna, and thick shades.

TomBoy: Urban Diva

                  

                             

                     
                                    

                          

                             

Here's the commercial:

Her sophomore album showed a change in style both musically and in her fashion.

The edginess was still there but the seams were smaller and the tomboy slowly diminished into a mature look for a very stylish teenage celebrity. Her abs were still dominating the world of fitness although wearing her hair over her face to shy one eye became rather popular amongst her fans and the rest of the world.

Sexy and Chic: Hollywood Street

                                                                  

                    




                  

  

Emerging as an actress and preparing for her third album, "Aaliyah", this trendy triple-threat was aligned to the ultimate success story. With the release of more singles topping the charts, she emerged into a biker girl. Leather pants, shirts, and shoes. She even wore helmets and used motorcycles in her videos.  

Leather Gal: Rich Biker Babe

                                       


                         

  


                    

She first cameoed on New York Undercover and then starred in Romeo Must Die which premiered in 2001. Unfortunately she did not live to see her 2002 release of “Queen of the Damned (which was an amazing film if I might add). Fashionistas and fans across this globe wonder what her newest trend would've been. Most people, including myself, think some sort of edginess and elegant middle easterns flair based off of her "Rock the Boat" video. It may have also been electrified by silvers and neons making the edgy statement she carried throughout all of her styles yet this time in a futuristic manner. Either way, we sure wish we could've all witnessed it.

                       

Prediction

Comfort and Flair : Bollywood Rough

              

          

              

  

   

                                         

            

      

                                    

  

Aaliyah starring in "Queen of the Damned"

Here's a taste of what Aaliyah offered us...

                 

ONE WOMAN FASHION SHOW

Would you enjoy sitting front row and watching the same model repeat the catwalk?


Intel and Franck Sorbier though you would.

         Intel is a computer device technology manufacturer that successfully makes semiconductor chips for major brands. Franck Sorbier is a highly credited Parisian haute couture fashion house. In 2012, they teamed up with Intel to create their Fall/Winter Haute Couture show. 

How? Why?

Franck Sorbier provided the avante garde silhouettes and photo-receptive textile canvases and Intel added the technological streaming of unique graphics onto the garments. 

Check out these darling images...

                                                 

                         

The designer captivates the energy of the lights in the Parisian nightlife. It's exciting, vibrant, and in mystery it glows...to perfection.

Intel graphics not only highlight the angles of the gown but they play with the environment in the background. The audience is taken for a spin through a cloudy day of dimming fashions to a wet night of neon designs. 

Below is the video which will excite all sorts of fashion connoisseurs. The use of the A ball gown silhouette with streaming digital prints that resemble classic cross piece dyed prints and the variation of color throughout the piece definitely doesn't stray to far from high fashion and does not at all marry science & technology and end in an ugly divorce.

Now, the video will speak (play) for itself.

 

California Dreaming

This video look book presented by Juicy Couture is outstanding. It embodies not only the brand's image, but the entire influence for the Spring 2013 collection. Even the soundtrack played shows why the apparel was designed, "girls just wanna have fun."

Here's a still shot of the model as she begins to dream in somewhere, the audience can assume, in California.

In this look book, the woman slips into a dream that is Juicy Couture's, the fun girly brand, way of proposing the appropriate visual compliment to their apparel and accessories. In the dream, the model, Candice Swanepoel, changes into a score of Juicy Couture Spring 2013 outfits as she get's ready for a night on the town, of course Cindy Lauper's "Girls wanna have fun" plays in the background. This mega 80's hit is aimed to show women what they could and should do when wearing on of the Spring pieces. It works too. I thought hmm, maybe I should go out in this cute Juicy Couturce dress. 

Here's Cindy Lauper's mega hit that influenced the brand's collection...

And finally, here's Juicy Couture in California Dreaming. Enjoy! I'm sure you will...

Divinity in Fashion : "Camilla "And God Created Woman" Trunk Show

The Exclusive Invite

Yes, we all understand the belief in God being responsible for all form of life on this planet, yet the relation to that idea and designer Camilla Franks may not be so simple to understand.

This trunk show was held on September 9th, 2013 from Tuesday - Friday (1pm - 5pm). Like most trunk shows today, it was held in the same space as it would be sold. For the fall 2013 Camilla Franks collection, it was held in Bergdoff Goodman. Models paraded through the space donning her apparel. 

She even made a special appearance each day from 2pm- 4pm. This is not too common for big designers. So guests were pleased.

The trunk show related to her "Brave New World" Fall 2013 collection which almost crowned Franks on a throne in her collection's photography.

THE WORLDS FIRST UNDERWATER FASHION SHOW!!! !! !!

When you think of a fashion show, the last thing that you may be expecting to see is a pair of experienced divers, but they're not divers, they are models. And what are they doing in a pool of 20ft of water in an aquarium, you ask? Well they are modelling a traditional styled 2011 Korean dress collection by Park Sul-Nyeo. Park Sul-Nyeo is a Korean designer who creates traditional garments with modern twists. She has received the 1999 Yejiwon Lifetime Achievement Award and the 1999 KBS Costume Lease Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding creative and social presence in South Korea. Her career didn't end in the new millennium at all because in 2008 she was selected as the Female CEO Who Has Established Outstanding Success.

Park Sul-Nyeo

The Hanbok (traditional Korean) dresses flowed smoothly in the  water and showed off the fabrics flexibility. The way the models swam in the garments added to the calming remnants of Korean golden eras and speaking into a peaceful culture that connects with the Korean audience.

  

The 2011 Seoul, South Korea Park Sul-Nyeo Fashion Show

This innovative idea has sparked many other creations within the fashion industry in fashion photography and more submerged fashion shows. When water is added to the presentation of fashion whether in a photo, art, runway, or video presentation, it adds a soft edginess. The idea of fashion submerged in water is creatively drawn from folk tales and myths of sirens in jacquard woven brassieres and their decoratively sparkling tails.

The pastel candy greens, watermelon pinks, bubblegum pinks, cherry reds, forest greens, navy blues, and deep violets remind the audience of nature and those colors correspond to watching pedals of the most beautiful flowers floating in the rain's puddles. 

Pics from the fashion show

One of the many fashion shows inspired by Park Sul-Nyeo

 More drawn inspirations...

Rihanna in her music video for "Russian Roulette"