Bits and pieces - Leona's race ban, red carpet sightings and Rihanna to speak out

You know every now and then we have to do a pelau post when there's so much going on that we need to put it all in de pot! This is one of those - we have news from all over - on Ri-ri, Leona (Le-le?) and islandistas on the red carpet from Rio to London to L.A.

So to start with - islandistas have been all over people's red carpets over the last week - from the premieres of the Michael Jackson This Is It movie in London and Los Angeles, to Fashion Rocks in Brazil.

Check out a few of the looks below.

[caption id="attachment_1644" align="aligncenter" width="306" caption="Former Sugababe Keisha Buchanan was hot at the London premiere of This Is It in a jewel panelled LBD with a jewelled halter neckline."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="222" caption="Nia Long in textured black leggings and a black leather jacket at the LA premiere."][/caption]

For more looks and news on Rihanna's first public interview and Leona's racism run-in, read on.At the other end of the globe, islandistas like Estelle and Jeneil Williams represented at the annual Fashion Rocks showcase, which was held this time in Brazil.



[caption id="attachment_1653" align="aligncenter" width="196" caption="We love Jennifer Lopez' sequinned black dress but the unnecessary knee high boots dragged it down. Knee high boots on a dress that is just hitting knee length just don't have much impact."][/caption]

 


Jeneil was the only black model on the catwalk for the show while Estelle hit the red carpet in one of her now trademark 'hmmm do we love it or hate it' dresses.



[caption id="attachment_1649" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Estelle wore this sunset hued dress by Indian designer Manish Arora."][/caption]

Ya got to give it to 'Stelle though - she always pushes the fashion envelope. Sometimes it pushes her back but she does take a chance and we rate that.

In more news... nine months after she was beaten by Chris Brown in the wee hours of the morning of the Grammy Awards, Rihanna is finally going to speak out on it.

If you notice, she has not done a single interview or said a single word since the whole messy business unfolded on February 8th.

We have seen her out plenty and she has performed but that has been it. And truthfully, we think that is her prerogative. God knows the turmoil she has been going through after dealing with such a painful experience in front of the whole world.

But now she's going to talk and it's on ABC's Good Morning America. She also set to return to GMA on November 23rd (the day her album drops) to perform her most recent single, the controversial Russian Roulette.

On to Leona now, she is also speaking out about a terrible experience she had a few months ago, where she and ger black, Guyanese father were kicked out of a high-end London boutique ... and she strongly suspects it's because of race.

According to Leona, she and her dad were shopping for photo frames when the ugly incident happened:

This woman told us, ‘get out of my store right now’. I asked her ‘are you joking?’

“She said, ‘No, I want both of you to remove yourselves from my store’. I asked why – and pointing at my dad she said, ‘I don’t like the look of him. I want him to go now’.

“I said: “What do you mean? She said, ‘I know why you’re coming in here’. She was implying we were trying to steal stuff.”

“I was so angry my dad had to drag me out of the shop. I’d never experienced anything like that. Being judged by the colour of your skin is horrible.”

The boutique is only referred to as an "unnamed London store" but we want to know! Talk de tings dem Leona! It is only by exposing them that they can be shamed into changing their ways.

Amazing to think this would happen - not so much the racism bit but the fact that you think the store twit would recognise Leona Lewis.

But girl, if it happened to Oprah... let's just say, we're not quite in a post-racial world quite yet.

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Bits and pieces - Leona's race ban, red carpet sightings and Rihanna to speak out

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Rihanna's dad - "I didn't believe it" and Fashion Week stuff

Rihanna's father, Ronald Fenty has spoken of his shock on hearing of his daughter's alleged assault at the hands of her (now ex we presume?) boyfriend Chris Brown. Speaking to people.com, Mr. Fenty was remarkably restrained and diplomatic for someone whose only girl child has been battered (or maybe they just edited out the part where he said 'if I ever see Chris Brown again, I gine burst he rasshole head... who knows?).


"I know my daughter," said Fenty, 55. As for Brown, he said, "You think you know somebody, but you really don't."

Describing Rihanna's current condition after seeing her in Barbados on Friday, Fenty said, "There is some bruising. She will be alright. I think so."

He adds, "At some point, she will speak out. I hope she will stand up for women all over the world."

Fenty, a salesman and freelance clothing designer, said Rihanna is spending time with her girlfriends in Barbados while she heals. While Fenty said he wouldn't tell his daughter what to do, he did say, "If it were me, I'd move on."


Like we said... restrained. Kudos to Mr. Fenty for taking the high road. 

In other news... it's FASHION WEEK!

New York Fashion Week is having an existential crisis about whether it's appropriate to have the traditional lavish displays of luxury and wealth when the world is in a recession. Several designers, including Ms. Fabulosity herself Kimora Lee Simmons (soon to be Hounsou?) have scaled back their shows in deference to the recession.

But the clothes still cost an arm and a leg ok? And a few toes on the next foot... but at least dey trying.



[caption id="attachment_630" align="aligncenter" width="401" caption="photo credit: from theybf.com"][/caption]



Islandista Nia Long looked cute as can be walking the cat walk for the Heart Truth's red dress collection in a dress by top black designer Tracy Reese and a new group called the African Fashion Collective had an all-star cast of black models for their show, including islandista Jaunel McKenzie and guest appearances by Tyson Beckford and the irrepressible Grace Jones.

[caption id="attachment_631" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="photo credit: Young, Black and Fabulous"][/caption]

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Rihanna's dad - "I didn't believe it" and Fashion Week stuff

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Caribbean Fashion Week 2008

(photo credit: David X Prutting/Patrick McMullan via NY Times The Moment)




Models backstage at CFW 08 in Heather Jones designs



Alright, alright I know I'm a liiikkle late but fear not, I was never going to forget the full-on islandista fabulosity that is Caribbean Fashion Week every year.

As usual Kingsley Cooper and the Pulse crew did it how we only do it. There was an array of gorgeous models in various hues of brown, with bodies that look like them nyam some food rather than the anorexic Eastern Euro-chic of every other catwalk- this is no doubt the only Fashion Week in the world where black models have no problem getting a bligh.

No less than the NY Times' The Moment blog noted the difference between CFW and the rest:


C.F.W. is a rarity in that it shows no signs of androgyny. Yanking up their bold Yardmanstyle t-shirts, the Jamaican male models flashed physiques that caused mass hysteria in the audience. And the heavenly bodies of the vari-hued Nubian catwalk beauties appeared to be silicone-free.


The androgyny-freeness was not just evident in the models but in the collections. The designs and colours were so distinctively Caribbean and yet not in a cliched way. There was rich, lush colour evocative of and appropriate to a true flamboyant tree-blooming, mango-filled Caribbean summer as seen in Heather Jones' designs up above and in the juicy orange skirts of Claudia Pegus dresses seen below.






 There were edgy, sexy rudegal-influenced designs from Born As Ragamuffin as seen below at right.





 There were celebs in the front row from islandista actress Nia Long and fellow actress Vanessa Williams and rapper Eve who also showcased her Fetish clothing line.



Clearly an event for islandistas! More pics of our picks below.



I love, love, love this fluffy, beribboned confection from Zadd & Eastman. Ribbons (ribboning?) were a theme in several of their designs as seen in this column dress below worn by fast-rising Barbadian model Tenille Stoute.





(photo credit: Ryan Lue-Clarke via Popstyle Jamaica)

Gorgeous splashes of colour came from one of Trinidad's grand dames of fashion, Meiling, as seen above.

For more photos check out Popstyle Jamaica which has tons of photos and coverage from CFW 08.

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Caribbean Fashion Week 2008

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Notes on the BET Awards 08 - Islandistas on the red carpet

 Trini-descended islandista Nia Long was absolutely working this plum-coloured dress. I loved everything about it - the rich colour, the daring back with just the two suspender-like straps down to the waist, the draped pockets at the sides, the plunging neckline - it was a winner from every direction. And of course, Nia herself is just fabulous - she really harkens back to the late 90s, early 'noughties' heyday of black romantic cinema featuring all those fabulous buppies - Love Jones, The Best Man, Soul Food ... what happened to those movies anyhow? There was a good run there in the late 90s.






Another islandista by descent, the half-Nevisian Mel B aka Scary Spice was also at the awards and showed off her fabulous body in this close-fitting champagne-coloured dress. As opposed to Nia's dress with its complex structure, this dress is deceptively simple but the gorgeous colour and Mel's great shape is all it needs.

Half-Jamaican and sometime dancehall songstress islandista Alicia Keys had three outfit changes on the night. First was her fuschia dress with the slight origami-like folds on the bodice that she rocked on the red carpet. Didn't so much like how the skirt of this fell - it wasn't quite a bubble shape, not quite straight... hmm. But the colour was definitely pretty.






Next was her performance outfit.






And... well!

Ms. Keys was never rail thin or anything but laaaaaawd gaad ... she a tek fowl pill or what? Since when she had all that bumper? I know her skinny jeans had to be struggling!






And third was her post-performance, acceptance dress - a beige number that would have been blah-ish were it not for the dramatic silver and gold embellishment running across the bodice and along the shoulder. Not everyone's cup of tea but I liked it. I like artistes to wear something a little daring and different. 






I wasn't sure whether to include this last one but I'm feeling generous. Islandista-by-marriage (though maybe not for much longer what with all the scandal facing her hubby, Turks and Caicos Premier Michael Misick) LisaRaye McCoy-Misick wore a great short metallic dress. Quite daring for a red carpet but allowable I think for a music show. And for a woman that is 40-pushing-41, she looks great!

(photo credits: YBF.com)

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