Openminded Barbie

This is very thoughtful. There's a huge petition out there for Mattel to start creating Bald Barbies for children affected by cancer,  Alopecia or Trichotillomania. Since Mattel created a special edition Princess Genesis barbie named after a 4-year-old cancer sufferer, people have been inspired and want to see more.

Courtesy: Styleite.com

So far Mattel hasn't responded. I don't blame them, they'll be a hard sell for everyone else on the market... that is if they look like the typical Barbie princess or girlie girl. I think they should give her a motorcycle jacket, a discreet necktatt and black lipstick along with that bald head. People would love it! Adults would even be collecting them!

I hope that these petitioners aren't let down too badly.

Princess Genesis Barbie

A for effort and thoughtfulness, but the hair is just kind of the point with a Barbie.

Katya No-cover Plus Model Mag

Courtesy: Styleite.com

Katya Zharkova created a buzz this week with controversial lines like “Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today she weighs 23% less.” and “Most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for Anorexia." in the latest PLUS Model Magazine."



You see, when you drop "facts" like that people take notice. Let's not forget though, that dropping your draws also helps. So she did BOTH, because she's so invested in these issues. The plight of the modern plus sized beauty according to the mag, is about not being able to find fashionable options and the feeling of being bombarded with weight loss ads. The provoking part of it all is not just her bending over to show her jelly hams to the world, it's the fact that she is seen intimately embracing a mysterious "normal-size" model in a few of the shots. We don't really know what it means. Do they want the fashion worlds to embrace each other or are they just using sexuality in comparing their body shapes because they couldn't think of anything else?

Her confidence is really inspiring and she's beautiful to boot, not to mention flexible in her 5ft 10" frame.

Nazis need earrings too

Courtesy: FoxNews.com

How far would you go for fashion? A profound stink has been made over the New York store Bejeweled in Brooklyn over a suspicious looking pair of earrings.

Now to be fair they would be a pair of shurikens or something for stylish ninjas. Actually this is a Tibetan Buddhism symbol for eternity. This symbol though was infamously used by the Nazi party and minted a swastika.

There are calling it anti-Semitic. They're calling it an outrage. Store owner Young Kim (great name) doesn't get the uproar, stating that this symbol doesn't carry the same connotation in Asia as the rest of the world. When I think of the Nazis I don't automatically think of anti-Semitism so much as general HATE, stupidity and lack of empathy. Everyone should be offended by what they stand for and the fact that they tainted a religious symbol along their destructive path is unfortunate.

I think the store owner has a valid point, but since the sudden rash of anti-Semitic incidents in Manhattan and Brooklyn since October this is a hot button topic at the moment. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer demanded the removal of the earrings from the store all together.
Not quite sure it it's his jurisdiction or even his business but it's probably for the best.


Fashion wise: they're plain, boring and will probably turn your ear green

Stud quota met?

Studs are making a come back in popular fashion. Since 2010 we've seen more and more studs and spikes creeping into the fashion collections of Sam Edelman, Christian Louboutin and countless others. As a matter of fact, Louboutin's pre-spring/summer 2012 collection features two show-stopper pumps in gold and brown. Check them out on Vogue's UK website. They're excellent for a cocktail party and are the perfect accessory during any downtown mugging.
There is a point though that you draw the line when it comes to metal adornments whether you get them in a store or attach them yourself.

Featured on hopevonjoel.blogspot.com

When your foot wear looks like it's contracted some horrific disease and is more suitable for the pages of Gray's Anatomy than a fashion magazine, you might have gone overboard.
The point of the spike is to show that you're a badass and to give you a bit of an edge, but these shoes are a travesty. The Barbie heads are a charming touch as well.

Screams: Bride of Chucky, messed up childhood and too much free time



Better examples of stud/spike usage:

Spotlight: Naucler Design

In the spotlight this week is Naucler Design, an up and coming design house based in the north of Sweden, in Umeå to be exact.

They specialize in latex wear and manage to pull off mixing the styles of Betty Boop, Marilyn Manson and Gwen Stefani all in one.
Their Facebook page

While you clearly can't step out in public in this particular look, I like how they incorporate and complement the leopard tattoos of their model into the look with a monochromatic color scheme. I think anyone can grab a piece from this look and make it their own... pasties included.
I like their approach, simple and daring all at the same time. Naucler Design really blur the line between fetish wear, lingerie and party clothes.
The score high on individuality, charm and simplicity.

Blue Ivy Carter

Beyonce has belted out the biggest note of her career.
The pop superstar delivered her first child, a girl, Blue Ivy Carter last night.

The baby was healthy bundle of joy delivered via cesarean section at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York city. A far cry away from Beyonce's native Texas.
Don't expect to see any photos anytime soon though. The entire hospital staff was on lock-down, having to turn in their cell phones, with beefed up security for those pesky fans wishing her well.

I say, 5/5 for aww-factor and a 3/5 for the name choice. Maybe they should named the baby Bleu to play up Beyoncé's Creole heritage. All in all a huge congratulations to the new parents!