Special Note to Our ReadersWelcome to WMDSF Magazine Summer Fashion Edition!

Thank you for taking the time to read a magazine different from the rest. WMDSF strives to empower, encourage and uplift women to be the best they can. A

place for women of every taste, women of every face, women free to be women.In this edition we will be talking about relationships, beauty must-haves, and of course

fashion!

Meet 6 up and coming Sustainable Fashion Designers and explore their summer col-lection as well as some fall transitional pieces.

Love Fashion…. well so do we, check out our 28 page fashion photo shoot, photo-graphed by Dom Pierre of DomPierrePhotography. The beautiful accessories were

provided by Di Manno Designs, LLC. At WMDSF Magazine we want to highlight the good in what’s missing from our fe-

male bonds as wives, mothers, daughters, sisters and as friends. Allow us to take you on a journey of the senses. Life often passes us so fast we don’t

get to truly appreciate what's right before our eyes, take a minute to take it all in as we recapture those moments for you, we will reflect back all that this world has to offer

us.

Yours Truly,

Melanie G. ButcherCEO/Editor of WMDSF Magazine

Magazine edited by Dom Pierre

6 Beauty Must-Haves for The Summer pg.3

Meet The Designers pg.5(Get to know the Masters behind the creations

Is it Ok to Date to your Friend’s Ex? pg.11

Orange Craze: The Color of The Season pg.12

Top 4 Swimsuits Trending Now! pg.2

28 Page Fashion Spread Hottest Sustainable Fashion Collection pg.23of Our Featured Designers

Summer Fashion Edition 2013CONTENT

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6 Must Have Beauty Products By Benna Jassal

Hello everyone! We all know what it’s like to be on the go, and have to shower, shave, blow dry, pluck, tweeze, blush, brush, blot, pout and do everything we have to do in order to walk out looking like we were born this way! I have compiled a list of 6 beauty essentials, which are actually staples for me in my everyday usage. I, like most ladies, ravage Sephora, CVS, MAC, even

Avon catalogs, and peruse like nobody’s business in search of the newest colors, tinted moisturizers, eyeshadows, nail colors, etc. I can spend hours at my local drugstore searching for the most wallet friendly, highly pigmented, easy to use, and yet will get me noticed, products. Read on forsome of my faves:

1. Victoria’s Secret Airbrush Fx Face Primer SPF 15, $18

Before applying any makeup, be it foundation, concealer, pressed powder, or highlighter, I always start off with a primer such as this one by Victoria’s Secret. When I don’t really feel like dropping $40 on Smashbox Photo Finish, I find that for me, VS is a close second, and more budgetfriendly at $18. Apply the primer first before any makeup to perfect your skin and allow makeup to glide on smoother. This primer ensures a velvety flawless makeup application anytime, gets you ready for a close up for any picture, and double bonus: it’s weightless and oil free! Win-win for me any time of the year!

2. Cargo blu-ray HD Pressed Powder, $32

I’m not sure about any of you ladies, but finding a pressed powder for me is a task and a half! I always find myself in between colors: either the powder is too light, too dark, doesn’t make a difference, or will go on fine, but will photograph waaaaay off base! It really drives me crazy and I have tried everything from Covergirl, to Clinique, MAC, Lorac, MallyGirl, and Bobbi Brown. Of all the ones I just mentioned, so far MallyGirl, and Lorac are my absolute favorites. I just came across this new pressed powder, while once again perusing cosmetics over at Sephora. This new pressed powder is designed to make skin appear airbrushed and flawless, and appears invisible even under high definition cam era! The ingredients actually contain photochromatic pigments that adjust with the lighting so that you will look natural no matter what. This sounds like it would be perfect for fall brides, especially under the scrutiny of those bright lights and a nonstop cameraman in your face: gives you the airbrushing touch, and you won’t need your makeup artist to work you over with the machine! The powder also contains micronized minerals to fill in the appearance of fine lines, and irregular particle sizes soften the look of imperfections. It does glide on really smooth and so far, I’m loving it.

5. Victoria's Secret Shiny Kiss Flavored Gloss in Yummy Berry, $9

When I need something more than a lip balm, and a little less than a lipstick, I opt for my lip-gloss-es. I have a varied selection of different brands, but Victoria's Secret is one of my favorite brands for makeup. I picked up this gorgeous number during the semi-annual clearance sale, as I was on line. No this one was not on sale, but it was such an inviting color so I thought I would try it out. Turns out, it works beautifully! It glides on smoothly, a small hint of color, and lightly fla-vored. The effect: mouth watering luscious shiny lips that complements your application, whether

heavy or light. Throw this in your purse in any of the many flavors they have, and you are good to go!

6. Khroma Beauty Joysticks, in Rose Parade and Shocking Pink

I will be the first to admit that when the Kardashian sisters came out with their Khroma makeup line, I was skeptical. But then again, I shouldn't be: I mean these girls are makeup QUEENS!! If anyone knows makeup, it should be these 3 Armenian girls who do smoky eyes some real justice! I remember watching an episode of one of those Kardashian shows, where I saw Kourtney applying a hot pink lipstick to her mouth and I was instantly in love! I googled for days on end to see who made that brand, and envisioned dropping $40 on a tube of lipstick that I did not need. Surprise, surprise! Lo and behold, the lipstick is from their beauty collection, called Khroma beauty, found in any drugstores, and in Ulta. They have 8 shades and are called Joy-sticks. These lipsticks are highly pigmented, (think MakeUp Forever, and MAC), and have a very creamy base, and not at all sticky, as some lipsticks can be. It glides on, and is a serious pop of color, and smells kind of nice, too! You can use these everyday, if you're not scared of high pigments and the brightness, or its great for a night on the town. I love how these are priced as well: can't beat a lipstick

for this price, and in these two colors!

3. EOS Lip Balm, $2.19 at Target, $4.99 at CVS

I am a total ChapStick and lip balm fiend! There is never a moment where I am without my beloved Strawberry ChapStick: this obsession goes back to my high school years, where no other brand but ChapStick was good enough for me. Only ChapStick, for some reason, would give me the relief I needed during all those horrible East Coast winters (sorry all, I don't have that out here in Cali anymore!) I have actually seen this cute little easter egg shaped lip balm for quite some time now, and have always been curious about it. The other day, shopping inTarget, I saw one EOS lip balm left, in Strawberry Sorbet: it was meant to be. I figured at $2.19, rather than $4.99 at CVS, it was quite a bargain, and what was there really to lose? I'll admit it: I had also seen numerous photos of celebrities using this and figured there must be something to it, so that was a factor as well. EOS stands for Evolution of Smooth, and this company also makes shaving creams for ladies as well as hand lotions. The lip balms are 95% organic, gluten free, paraben free and petrolatum free. It glides on smooth and clear, and also contains shea butter, Vitamin E, and jojoba oil. This cute little egg shaped balm has become my new favorite: so much so, that my beloved ChapStick has been taking a seat on the back burner!! I can't get enough of this and how moisturized my lips feel, and not at all filmy, greasy, or anything else I have experienced with other lip balms. I am definitely going to stock up on these babies!

4. DIORSHOW Waterproof Mascara, $27

Every woman searches high and low for that particular mascara that will lengthen, plumpen, and voluminize our lashes. Diorshow Waterproof Mascara is my clear go to, and my all time favorite! This mascara elongates my lashes to the ninth degree, and also gives it a curve and lift. The huge plus with this: it's waterproof and holds it own! I have worn this baby splashing around in the Caribbean Sea, and splashing around poolside in the Dominican Republic as well as the Bahamas: saltwater has met its match in this baby! My daytime look these days consists of quick pressed powder application, light eyeliner on the bottom, mascara application, and a swipe of lip-gloss and I am out the door! This mascara also lasts all day: I have never needed a touch up with this one! If you are looking to thicken, and lengthen: look no further because Diorshow is it!

3. 4.

Vasumathi SoundararajanChief Underwearist at Ken Wroy

I graduated in mass communication and worked as a journalist for Times Now news channel in Mumbai. I was also a features writer for magazines, covering film, fashion and music. But I was very drawn to art, craft and design. This desire brought me to the FIT and NY. After a successful grande finale of my garment being featured in the school exhibition, I went onto to assist at Catherine Malandrino and Oscar De La Renta. At their atelier I polished my tailoring skills and garment construction. I began printing with a Brooklyn based designer. All these experiences culminated into my brand of men's designer underwear 'Ken Wroy'.

Q: Why underwear? I was simply bored with my husband's underwear. Lol. It seemed that men wore cool clothes and classy suits, but when that came off... Oh horror! As a designer, I was always into prints and colors and underwear was a perfect product to unleash my creativity. Soaking in the fashion of NY, I am inspired by this dynamic city and the name comes from that feeling. Ken Wroy is an anagram of New York, and just like the city, the brand is bold, electric and sexy. You can find our funky underwear at www.kenwroy.com. P.S: Ladies, rumor has it these boxers are very appreciated as gifts!

Meet the Up and Coming Designers of Sustainable Fashion as they take NYC on by storm! Sustain-able Fashion also known as “Eco Fashion”, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, with a goal to to create a system in which it can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentally and social responsiblity. They are looking to make a change for the better!!

Sustainable Fashion and 6 of The Hottest Fashion Designers

6.

Kibonen Nfi, an amazing sustainable fashion designer, got her start in 2006, but has al ways been passionate about fashion. From a young age it became obvious to her that she didn’t just want to be a consumer but to have an acting part in the fashion industry.

Kibonen’s ultimate inspiration came from her traditional regalia the "toghu" which is an intricate embroidery done on garments and worn by the royalty and on special occa sions by the people of the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Fusing this aspect of the embroidery into more modern styles silhouettes and fabrics was what ultimately inspired Kibonen. Her collections however, are not limited to that. Kibonen equally uses other tex tiles in her collection, mostly exploring other traditional African textiles. When creating her pieces she is really inspired by the woman's body - how the outfits fall on the body and how functional and comfortable they are. When creating her mens' collection she is focused on the fit and how to make a man to stand out in her pieces.

Besides being a fashion lifestyle brand, KibonenNY is an ethical fashion brand. Cameroon is a country with abundant talent, unbe-lievable design aesthetics, and amazingly beautiful people, yet over 49% of the population lives below the poverty line. This was one gripping factor that urged the formation of Kibonen’s brand, by using the business of fashion she was able to help create employment in Cameroon, paying employees a fair wage that will not only aid survival but allow them to improve their standard of living.

Some of the designers who inspire Kibonen are: Burberry – with their transformation of their traditional Scottish Tartan to a more con-temporary brand. Emilio Pucci in their consistency in design esthetic, Donna Karan in her ethical arm of doing business and Missoni.

Q:What's hot this season (summer 2013)? Peek-a-boo pieces, Print suits and shorts, statement sunglasses and bold stripes

Q: What looks and trends should our readers look for this coming fall? 1960s and Victorian styles

Q: What is next for your brand and collection? Too many amazing things - extensive PR, Marketing and Celebrity endorsements

Q: Where can our readers purchase your collection? KibonenNY Boutique 52 W 116 Street - Booth 49 NY, NY, 10026

Kibonen Nfi

5.

Meet Tori Famuyiwa an incredibly talented designer who is taking sustainable fashion to a whole other level.

Q: When did you recognize your passion for fashion? I recognized my passion for fashion when I was very young, I was in high school when I realized I was able to think outside the box and make my wardrobe work for me.

Q: What are your inspirations when creating your pieces/collections? Many things inspire me, music is always a great source of inspiration for me, and so are fabrics, architecture and most impor tantly the everyday woman.

Q: How long have you been in the fashion industry? I have been in the fashion industry for over 16 years now, going on 17.

Q: When did you start your first collection? I created my 1st collection 3 years ago, spring of 2011; I called it my inspirational collection, cause I didn't set out to do a col lection. I just went with making things I was inspired by and after a few months a. Collection was born.

Q: What was the motivating force behind becoming a sustainable fashion designer? I like being a sustainable designer because there are many forces that contribute to the end products people see in magazines and shops. I want to make ensure people I work with in the beginning stages (such as sourcing fabrics, buying the fabrics, get ting the right notions) get compensated properly, but cutting out the middle man and going to them directly I am able to do this. I also try to use everything bit of the fabrics I attain as well as recycle garments, fabrics and notions.

Q: What designers have aspired you to become the designer you are today? I admire designers such as Haider Ackerman, Marc Jacobs, Gwen Stefani, Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen just to name a few.

Q: What's hot this season (summer 2013)? Crop tops, asymmetrical dresses, skirts and tops, the handle bar mustache on everything, floral prints and bold colors.

Q: What looks and trends should our readers look for this coming fall? For the fall lace, furs, leather still remain a constant. I will add the color grey in all shades, fun nails and camouflage.

Q: What is next for your brand and collection? I am working on my men’s 2013 collection and also working on a kick starter campaign. Please stay tuned for more details

Q: Where can our readers purchase your collection?Readers can get my items by emailing me at tori@toriola.com, going through me web site www.toriola.com or all social media , fb www.facebook.com/ToriolaInc , Twitter @ToriolaInc , instagram ToriolaInc , google+,Tumblr ToriolaInc.

Tori Famuyiwa

Soham Dave, a very talented and passionate sustainable fashion designer, who works with traditional techniques and natural dyes, creating modern pieces.

Soham Dave uses the inspiration of his artisans, traditional crafts and nature to create his pieces. Soham’s heart lies in the concept of Slow Fashion, where they work directly with underprivileged artisans in order to explore trade opportunities for their skills using cre-ativity and education. All their designs/products are handmade by artisans in the most Eco friendly production ways possible.Attending the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in India and Soham moved to New York to complete his master’s de-gree in Global Fashion Management at the Fashion Institute of Technology where we met Nimet Degirmencioglu, his textile engineer and right hand.

Soham Dave designed his first collection after graduation, which received an Innovation award from Ethical Fashion Forum in Lon-don.

Q: What was the motivating force behind becoming a sustainable fashion designer? Our entire supply chain receives the benefits of our creative ideas. Being a fair trade company our supply chain partners, including our artisans, get better compensation. Being an Eco brand, our consumers get healthier products.

Q: What designers have aspired you to become the designer you are today? We love Eileen Fischer.

Q: What's hot this season (summer 2013)? We use Khadi, 100% natural Indian hand-spun and hand-woven cloth. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Mahatma Gandhi promoted the production of Khadi for rural self-employment and self-reliance.

Q: What looks and trends should our readers look for this coming fall? As a Slow fashion designer, I keep myself away from mainstream fashion. My focus is traditional skills I work with and Eco friendly techniques. I see more and more brands launching organic lines and focusing on carbon footprint reduction. So “Eco” or “slow fashion” could be a big trend for the sake of our planet and our selves.

Q: What is next for your brand and collection?

We would like to be a part of Fashion Week in India and New York. I wish more people could view and learn to implement the materials, processes and efforts that the product is made of as a whole story. Each and every product has a unique story that has been passed through the various processes and hand works of the artisans.

Q: Where can our readers purchase your collection? Our website is Sohamdave.com

Soham Dave

8.

Sustainable Fashion Designer, Tamara Leacock has always been interested in how humans have the ability to recreate their bodies, like remodeling architecture. As a child, her favorite activities consisted of either deconstructing electronics or building Kenex windmills, or playing "dress up," where her younger sister would play "client" and she would play "stylist/shop keeper." The act of rebuilding, re-constructing and role playing led her to explore garment construction and fashion, from which she continues to explore and re-explore how fashion can be a vehicle for social reconstruction and re-creation.

Q: When asked what inspires her when creating pieces for her collections?Tamara tells us she is inspired by macro level social events, either benevolent spiritual practices or widespread social issues. When de-signing, she meditates on her own desires for connection with source, reconnecting with others, and the zeitgeist of social realities that both inspire and challenge the people and communities around her. And from that mental space, she begins to create.

Tamara has danced in and out of the fashion industry, having had experience with major brands while embarking on more of out of the box, Margiela-style artesenal practices. She has had a moderately lengthy ebb and flow with the "industry."

She designed her first collection in high school, as part of an independent study project that her quite liberal Quaker school gave graduate seniors the option of doing instead of attending class. She chose to be home with her art then in those bright fluorescent-lit classrooms. The collection was a single skirt, in which each layer was inspired by the color palette of a different Brazilian Yoruba deity or "orisha," and a collection of tank tops quilted with the scraps from the skirt and further embellished with fabric paint. The collection was inspired by an independent art installation that she had created as a junior a year prior called "Cultural Self Identification," which explored through mixed media her newly discovered family from Brazil, her grandfather Oscar born in the state of Para, near the Ama-zons.

Q: We asked Tamara what was the motivating force behind becoming a sustainable fashion designer?“The state of the planet. The more I began to become in sync with my humanity, the more I became interested and invested in the health of our planet. Both learning and feeling the rapid and unhealthy changes in our Earth propelled me to further explore how my passion, fashion design, had impacted this reality. And through independent study as well as courses through the Fashion Institute of Technology's Sustainable Entrepreneurship program, I learned so much about the ways in which the fashion industry influences the health of our planet (and our bodies) that it was almost too overwhelming NOT to do something about it. And for that reason, every design that’s made for a human being considers the ways in which the human as well as the planet, the extension of our humanity is impacted.

Some of the designers who have inspired Tamara to name A FEW, Donna Dove, her mentor and advisor who's boundless creativity and commitment to community will always remain close to her creativity and her heart; Malcolm Harris, for the incredible ways in which he has explored fashion as a vehicle for social justice while also remaining such a powerful example and spokesperson for creative in-tellectualism; Betsey Johnson, Anna Sui, Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Manish Arora, and Vivienne Westwood for their inspiring and fearless use of color, texture and image, Yohji Yamamoto and Alexander McQueen for their mastery of tailoring, Alexander McQueen again for his uncompromising commitment to making a truly provocative, undiluted social statement, and Martin Margiela, prior to his retire-ment, for his unbelievable design vision, inspiring use of recycled materials, and ability to galvanize such a large community around designs which push visual, emotional, and social limits. And Yiquing Ying, Rad Hourani, and Iris van Herpen, for showing the world that haute couture are both relevant and amenable to the contemporary changes of our world.

Q: What's hot this season (summer 2013)? Anything that looks like Solange would wear it :)

Q: What looks and trends should our readers look for this coming fall?White, black, graphics- a Janelle Monae fantasy

Q: What is next for your brand and collection? A ready to wear and possibly couture extension of my current artesenal practice. And a greater experimentation with androgynous silhouettes.

Q: Where can our readers purchase your collection?At the moment, special requests can be made by emailing info@reciclagemny.com, and very soon through select online boutiques. Stay tuned :-)

Tamara Leacock

Since a little girl Lusmila McColl, always had a love of beautiful feeling fabrics and gorgeous clothing. Blessed to have a remarkable woman in her life, who was very wealthy, Lus was taught what good design, impeccable style, exquisite craftsmanship and tailoring was all about.When we asked Lus about what inspires her when creating her pieces for the collection she stated “uber feminine and Style ROI (Re-turn of Investments)”.Lusmila started her collection in 2008, but says, “It’s been a loooooonnnng strange trip. The adventure, I feel, is JUST beginning!”

Q: What was the motivating force behind becoming a sustainable fashion designer?When I took a trip to my mother’s homeland in Scotland up to the Hebrides to visit the tweed mill I was working with, this is where I witnessed the time, energy, and dedication from all the hands involved in making tweed. It broke my heart to hear that the Tweed In-dustry was on the brink of extinction. It is an indigenous part of the Scottish Heritage as well as a vital product for their economy. After that, I thought, “how can my gifts and talents best serve here?” and that was the start.

Q: What designers have aspired you to become the designer you are today?In the beginning LaCroix, Lauren (sheer brand genius. Man started with a TIE, afterall), Chanel, the staples…then, over time love love love Marc Jacobs. Period. then Galliano, McQueen, Viktor&Rolf, House of Holland, CommeDeGarcons, Pringle, Marchesa (every girl’s dream gowns)…off the top of my head.

Q: What's hot this season (summer 2013)?

The weather. I honestly don’t keep to what’s hot. I just love people-watching and getting inspired in so many ways. I love all the innu-merable options we have today to adorn the body. It’s a great time to be alive and creating!

Q: What is next for your brand and collection? PR. Big time. or rather, attraction rather than promotion. Get into a few key luxury department stores across the globe. And……Mens-wear. Awww yeh!

Q: Where can our readers purchase your collection?Right now, thru http://www.cityblis.com/mccollandclan

Lusmila McColl

9. 10.

Hey all, welcome back this is Brutha Blunt here to hit you with the real with Sistah Truth!! We are back for another month of telling it like it is. Sitting here with my partner in writing, Sistah Truth ran a good topic by me that I thought we should definitely talk about. This topic comes up a lot and how one person deals with it can be totally different from another person. Is it ok for your friend to date your ex? As sistah was talking to me about this topic, she wanted to know how I felt about it; for a short period of time I had my reservations, but after thoroughly thinking about it, I was able to agree to discuss it because I’ve dealt with this situation before.Let’s say in your close-knit circle of friends someone is romantically involved with a good person. You are genuinely happy that your friend has found love, and remark on how lucky they are to have found this individual. Months pass and you find out that the happy couple has broken up. You find out about the whole ordeal from your friend and then one day you walk down the street, or go to an event and you see “THE EX”. You strike up a conversation and in the midst of all that, you realize you may be feeling this person and they are feeling you. You begin to think about actually pursuing something with “THE EX”. The question is do you go on ahead and date this person? How do you tell your friend about it? Better yet, would you tell your friend about it?

Sistah Truth (ST): This sounds like a mess. You see “THE EX” in the streets and then all of a sudden you catch feelings? This "friend" sounds like they need to go home and rub down with some Vicks. Cool it down. Connection or not, it just leads to bad business and animosity. A set of friends, that I have, actually went through an experience that made people wonder if the girl was faithful to her man, since she so readily slept with her man's friend. Even though it happened after the breakup, you begin to wonder what was happening during the last phase of the relationship, to make her jump to this dude so quickly. And if she jumped to one dude, did it open the gate for her to go to another one?

Brutha Blunt (BB): I had an experience like that before. Once, I was dating this nice female and I introduced her to my so-called friend at the time. We all hung out and everybody got along with each other. Months pass by and she decides to break it off with me because I am a nice guy (which I thought was what women wanted, I guess I thought wrong) and she didn’t feel we were compatible anymore. Nothing new to me, I just said that I was sorry she felt that way and wished her luck in the future. After hearing that so many times I became numb to it and just kept it moving. Two months later I was out at a restaurant with one of my co-workers and what laid before my very eyes? It was my ex and my (now) ex-friend at a table conversing and kissing. It took a lot for me to not show him how Jamaican I am and go off. I wasn’t mad that she was dating my friend. The fact of the matter is that my friend didn’t tell me he was feeling her and wanted to date her.

ST: Wow. You are a better person than me. I would have walked over there just to be petty. I wouldn’t have started anything, just said hello and sauntered away. Maybe he didn’t think that you took this lady seriously and it was a free for all since the two of you had broken up.

Is It OK to

Date Your

Friend’s Ex?

BB: That’s my thing though, I feel that the friend should have been mature enough to confront me and actually tell me the deal. And I get that in most cases there will be different reactions to someone telling you that they want to date your ex. You might be ok with it and have a higher respect for them telling you and not doing something behind your back. Or they might just look at you like you’re crazy and tell you that it ain't gonna happen cap'n!! It’s not an option and you don’t feel comfortable with the whole situation. It might make for an awkward situation.

ST: I remember in college getting into one of my first heated arguments with my best friend at the time, because I joked that I would date her ex (a man who I still can’t stand to this day) I was playing with her because she made a comment that “In the sister code, you don’t date your friends' ex.” I was being silly and asked, “Why not. I would date your ex” She absolutely lost it and I busted out laughing because it’s so much fun to tease her. Seeing how angry she became I kept going, and we didn’t speak for months. Even if we had the same taste in men, I know that there are tons of other quality men that haven’t been with my friends that are out there for me. Years later this same friend did want to pass on one of her quality jumpoffs to me, but that was hard for me to wrap my mind around. It is too messy for me. So what are we going to do, sit around and compare notes? “Oh yeah girl he did that back flippy thing to you too?” “Yeah, but I didn’t too much care for it” MESS!

BB: LOL…lord have mercy! Taking notes?? That’s different! One thing I can say is that when a situation like this happens; I just learn to let go and move on. If my friend has feelings for my ex I do expect for him to tell me. I wouldn’t really feel a way because it would be wrong for me to hold on to the fact that I dated her. It’s like saying that she is still mine and will always be mine. She doesn’t belong to me and she’s not my possession. It may not have worked out for me but it could always work out for someone else. As for my ex-friend, it ended up being a messy break-up for him and my ex. Karma reared its ugly head…she cheated on him and ended up pregnant for another dude. No, I’m sorry, it didn’t end up on Maury but the drama was really serious. Not losing any sleep about it, it worked out in my favor even though I’m still single and alone (sad violins playing in the background). Ok, I’m over it now…I’m done talking about this. In reality it’s different strokes for different folks. Some people say that it goes against the “code”. Some people say that they would be ok with it. Whatever your decision, if it works for you and has always worked for you then that’s cool. And with that, we are outta here. See you next month….

Written By Darren Phane and Natasha MillerEdited by: Melanie Butcher

Orange is The New Craze!

Smile!! There's something about the citrusy orange that makes everyone stand at attention

and feel cheery! The color psychology of orange is that it epitomizes rejuvenation, optimism, and helps during tough economic times because of its uplifting hue. The color orange helps to free the mind and check your inhibitions at the door, pro-moting creativity and freedom of expression. This color has always been rather hard for me to incor-porate into my wardrobe because the last thing I wanted to look like was an orange!! As I see it more and more showing up in every designer’s runway, I'm thinking it might not be such a bad idea! Check out some looks:

11.

Something to be said about the pop of color that brightens

up any mood: it is definitely not for the introverted and certainly requires a bit of a risk, or one not scared of taking that chance with any shade of orange! Celebrities know how to rock this look just right! Check out Amanda Sey-fried, the Queen Bey, and the ever stylish sharp shooting, Victoria Beckham!

Then again, Victoria Beckham, in my opinion can make taupe look

like a sexy color: between her and Beyonce they just make a garbage bag look tres chic!

This color was definitely a key player in Beckham's runway col-

lection for Spring/Summer. Look at some of these style ideas:

13. 14.

The harder it is to work a color into your wardrobe,

and the more of a challenge, the more fun it becomes!

I've become obsessed with finding great ways to pair

an orange blazer with an all white outfit; or perhaps a great pair of orange wedges to throw off a cobalt blue dress! I've found some really great looks!

The good thing about orange, is the different hues this color can take on: there's nectarine,

or peach, or tangerine! So many different vari-ants of one color equals success and works for any skin tone. Here are some tangerine ideas:

Everyone knows I'm an accessories girl! Work some color into a drab day and

let that take you all the way, I say! I love the look of tropical earrings against all white, or all black. I am a total NYer at heart, with an all black everything motto in my mind, but coming out to Cali definitely brings some brightness to your life!

15. 16.

I absolute adore bangles and bracelets of all types and kinds! There is something so feminine and graceful

about seeing these accessories on a woman's hands: it's so regal and just screams royalty to me. I am obsessed!!!With summertime being here, and all those rooftop parties and lounges calling, its high time to brush the dust off that special eye popping clutch you have tucked away! Or time to pull out that bag for lunch with the ladies! Wanna work some orange into that look? Check out some of these ideas:

I've never been one to turn down a py-thon clutch!

Don't forget your toesies! Get those girls decked out in some fun orange

tones on your next pedicure!

17. 18.

It's also nice to brighten up those peepers with some highly pig-

mented eyeshadows! Orange, tan-gerine, nectarine, peach: it's limit-less how many eye popping things you can do with orange makeup, believe it or not!!

Mani-pedi: check. Makeup: check. Bags: check. Acces-

sories: check. Shoes? Make way!

Aren't these Brian At-wood boots to die

for?! I am so in love and NEED these!

These Nicholas Kirkwood shoes are sure to set fire

to any ensemble you throw together! A sure fire head turner!

Whatever the variation of orange, it's definitely a wake up color of the sea-

son!! As I mentioned before, orange is the color of rejuvenation, enthusiasm, and has a certain degree of youthfulness to it! Wear it and stay young! (And grab a mimosa while wearing orange at your next brunch, ladies!)

xoxo,Beena Jassal

19. 20.

Top 4 Swimwear trendsIt's officially summer! You've spent the first half of the year working out so that you can spend the next 2-3 months showing it off in a swimsuit. Picking a swim-suit is never easy. Take a look at my top 4 swimsuit choices for this summer!

4. Monokinis-Although the monokini swimsuit is a one-piece, it is made for women with a smaller frame. The cut out sides can make you look bigger than you really are for the women who are heavier in the mid section. This swimsuit is made to contour the body, giving someone with a smaller mid section a curvier illusion.

The tribal print has been a long lasting trend. Between tribal shorts, shoes and crop tops, its only fair for the trend to take over swim-wear!

3. Tribal-

2. Crochet-Bet your grandmother nev-er crocheted these! When you think of crochet, you probably think of grand-ma's blankies, scarves and hats. These swimsuits give crocheting a whole new look! More and more stores are carrying them and even more people are making them!

1. High waist-

This is my absolute favorite swimsuit trend. Over the last few years we have seen high waist everything. Skirts,

shorts and pants. The ever-flattering high waist trend is usually for people who are taller. High waist pants cut off

the torso for someone who is short causing them to look much shorter. With a high waist swimsuit, you are able

to hide a troubled mid section, still wear a two-piece and manage to look a bit taller! It's a miracle swimsuit for

curvy girls everywhere!

Written By Marsha BadgerEdited By Melanie Butcher

21. 22.

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The New Underwear Trendset-ter on the block! The name is Ken Wroy, and it isn't a man's name. There is no gentleman name Ken Wroy and he isn't a designer. The real Ken Wroy is a group of women, with Vasumathi Soundarajan as the Chief Un-derwearist. A womenswear designer just created her Menswear collec-tion and that is amazingly sexy, fun, and most of all the fabri-cation is a work of art! The fab-ulous designs make the Men's underwear a Work of Art!

LiB Pan looks hot in his men’s underwear designed by KEN-WROY

Styled by: Alexis Whyte

Hair by: SeVen Knows

49. 50.

52

LiB Pan, is originally from China. He works as a sushi chef to make a living, in his spare time he loves to mod-el every chance he get. Pan has been modeling for about 2 years work-ing with designer Tori Famuyiwa for Toriola and with fashion pho-tographer Sean Turi. If you would like to see more of his work he can be reached through email: krispan7983@gmail.com

LiB Pan

Alexius Diana is an un-signed model having worked in New York, London and Paris for the past 5 years. Her past clients include Iman Cosmetics, Target & Catherine Malandrino as well as being the face of sev-eral wig and extension lines. She has appeared in the publications Nylon Mexico, The New York Times and Essence Magazine as well as the online versions of Vogue China, Ebony Magazine, and Vogule Italia's Black Blog. Diana is muse to NY based designer LaQuan Smith and CFDA designer/QVC phenom George Simonton. She has appeared on BET's Rip the Runway wearing LaQuan's diffusion line LQS followed the next season by wearing Project Runway's Samantha Black's stunning gold Iman Dress in the Red Carpet segment. Celebrat-ing female empowerment in all forms, enacting com-munity green initiatives and fundraising to support edu-cational opportunities are as interwoven in Alexius' spirit as her love of creating art through photo shoots. You may view more images and campaign work at Model-Mayhem.com/AlexiusDiana, or follow @AlexiusDiana on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Alexius Diana

51. 52.

54

Jeremy BurnettJeremy Burnett is an Actor born in Trin-idad raised in New Jersey. He recent projects include com-mercials for ESPN, Wendy's, Google, Ap-plegate Farms, Pizza Hut, Good Morning America, NFL and News 12. He can cur-rently be seen in the web series "Famous Farrah" and the up-coming TV shows "South Brooklyn" and TV One's "Celebrity Crime Files."He is Inspired by James Dean, Mari-lyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, James Cag-ney, SidneyPoitier, Denzel Wash-ington, Kanye West and more. He enjoys acting and making beats. Penn State Graduate. He believes that no matter what your passion is you should chase your dreams by following God and that Work begets work.

My name is Oscar Tatsu Brown IV, I was born in NYC but raised in various citys spending most of my life in New York City. I am fair-ly new to the mod-eling world but plan on breaking into it this year. In the past I have modeled for Tamara Tcup of Re-ciclagem, Shameless Maya, WMDSF Mag, a few close friends, and recently Sharon Epperson. When i am not modeling I can be found work-ing at Con Artist Collective, art col-lective, in the L.E.S.

Oscar Tatsu Brown IV

53. 54.