NEWS: Prabal Gurung x Target Collection

Target’s newest designer collab is with Prabal Gurung. Swoon. Gurung, who has dressed Zoe Saldana, Sarah Jessica Parker and even Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is toting his 80-piece collection from the grittiness of New York and elegance of Singapore to every corner of the U.S. And I am geeked!

The collection will be released on February 10, 2013, which gives us a little more than four months to pine for everything in the sneak peek photos and begin niching out a few budget dollars. And I do mean a few. Prabal’s t-shirts will retail for $19.99 with accessories, shoes and jewels ranging from $13 - $40. The priciest item? A $199 leather coat. I live for these prices.

Gurung’s collection will be filled with lots of his signature aesthetics: bold prints, flattering silhouettes and vibrant pops of color, which get all the love in spring-summer wardrobes.

The popular designer shares our excitement.

“I am so thrilled to be working with Target on a collection that brings my designs to a wider audience,” Gurung said. “This collection was inspired by love and if Target’s guests can feel even a little bit of the love that I felt while I was designing this collection, then I will consider it a job well done.”

I’ll be asking for a few items for Valentine’s Day. Since it’s the first collaboration since Jason Wu, I don’t think the booskie will mind.

Check out these sneak peek pics of the collection being shot in NYC with starlet Olivia Thirlby:

Are you excited for Gurung’s collection at Target? 

- Evette Dionne

Instaweek 10.29.12

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Happy Monday folks! I hope you lovelies on the East Coast are staying dry. I’m currently stuck in the dirty South (shoutout to Atlanta, love it here!) until further notice. My flight back to New York was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy so I’m marinating in Southern hospitality for a few more days until the chaos dies down.

So here’s what my crazy week was like:

Narciso Rodriguez x Kohls Collaboration: Last Monday, I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for the Kohls x Narciso Rodriguez DesignNation collection launching this November 7th. On middle right is a picture of some of the color-block dresses in the collection. I spotted celebs like Emma Roberts and Katie Holmes (top middle). They also gifted guests with a few pieces from the collection - I cannot wait to wear some of my pieces out on the town!

Oh Hey Katie Couric: Don't ask me how but Sweet Baby Jesus put my blog's name in the hands of the producers of Katie Couric's new talk show "Katie", and I was honored to be her special blogger guest this past Wednesday! Full post on that experience coming soon, but (top right) see a picture I snapped front row at her live studio recording. They select one blogger each day to participate in live-tweeting the show and last week they chose me! I was beyond honored. Check out my post for the Katie Show website here. It was all about Will.i.am who was Katie's special guest that day.

ATL Shawty: Like I mentioned earlier I'm currently in the beautiful city of Atlanta, GA. This was only supposed to be a weekend trip but due to everyone's favorite gal (Hurricane Sandy), I'm still here. I flew down here with my girl Jessica of Glamazons Blog and we happened to meet up with Blake of BlakeVonD while here. This weekend was Spelman/Morehouse Homecoming (and my first time going to an HBCU homecoming celebration) and it was beyond fun. Atlanta is a charming city. Huge hugs to Lexi of LexiWithTheCurls who I had a chance to brunch it up & go shopping with on Sunday. She's the bomb. I can't wait to come back!

So how are you guys holding up? Have a good weekend? Ready for Hurricane Sandy (East Coasters)?

Kickin' It: Keith Campbell Book Launch With Melanie Fiona, Chrisette Michelle, Bridget Kelly

Last night at the Limelight Shops in Chelsea, celebrity hairstylist Keith Campbell hosted a launch party for his newest book "DECIDE to be BEAUTIFUL". Co-hosted by his celebrity clientele Melanie Fiona, Chrisette Michelle and Bridget Kelly, the event was a star-studded kickoff to Keith's newest work.

Check out what we got into last night:

A few weeks ago we debuted Melanie Fiona's new hair cut and color (courtesy Keith Campbell) and you guys weighed in on her new look. Last night, the songstress showed up to support her dear friend and stylist sporting her goldie locks in romantic waves.

Melanie Fiona opted for a graphic tee, a bold printed skirt and layered jewelry for boho chic look.

Chrisette Michele rocked the red carpet in a casual glam 'fit - a brown leather jacket, denim oxford, oxblood jeans and sky high Giuseppe Zanotti stilettos. Love!

I'm absolutely obsessed with her new natural hair 'do! It's a fly faux hawk with highlights, cut and colored by Keith Campbell.

Fierce!

They were joined by songstress Bridget Kelley whose face actually appears on the cover of his book "Cuts For Our Infirmities".

At the launch event, Keith dazzled the audience by putting on a spectacular hair show. With hip-hop and live violin music in the background, Keith Campbell expertly cut and layered two heads of hair. All on beat, no doubt.

It was truly a sight to see! It was like the Bronner Brothers hair show but a more swagged-out NYC version of it. Amazing!

Overall we had a blast at the event. You guys can order a copy of Keith Campbell's "DECIDE to be BEAUTIFUL" on his website HERE starting November 1st. 

My Instaweek 10.21.12

Last week was a pretty tough one for me. Lots of ups & downs, disappointments and uncertainties. But
as time passes I'm learning the true meanings of patience and perserverance. When you believe in something, never give up on it. "You become a champion by fighting on more round." - James Corbett.

Cece's Curls Update: In natural hair news, my 2 year natural anniversary is coming up! I can't wait. I've been rocking a top knot for the past few days because I haven't had time to style or twist my hair since taking down my extensions. Can't wait to do a blow out and see my length since these TWA days. Lately I've been obsessed with two product lines -  Eden Bodyworks (the Peppermint Tea Tree Leave-In and Hair Oil are everything!) and Carol's Daughter Hair Milk 4 Piece Starter Kit (talk about everything you need for your curls in one place!)

New Shop Stop: UK retailer SuperTrash has officially made its US debut. They've set up shop in SoHo at a new boutique store off of Prince St (29 Prince St, to be exact) and it's chock full of super fab goodies from lead designer Olcay Gulsen. I popped by the launch party last week and had a ball. I even ran into Angela Simmons. Good times!

One Girl's Trash: I've been slacking on the thrifting front! A few weekends ago I went thrift shopping again for the first time since early summer and I felt like singing "Reunited, and it feel so goood." Top right is a picture of one of the handbags I scored. A leather satchel in mint condition - only $5.99. Sigh, how I love a good bargain.

Anyone else have a high-low week like me? Soundoff below!

Style Play Polish: OPI Black Spotted Manicure DIY

We've got a new feature on the site y'all! Considering how fanatic we are about nail art, it only made sense that we'd start a nail art tutorial series. Welcome to Style | Play | Polish - get ready to be inspired! Our first tutorial comes courtesy LBS intern Grace. She's gonna show you how to achieve the Limited Edition OPI Black Spotted Top Coat manicure without the actual lacquer (it's only available in France!)

Check it out:

OPI released their Black Spotted Top Coat as part of the Spiderman Collection, exclusively in French Sephora stores, which means this highly sought after polish is being sold and bid on through Ebay for prices an average nail enthusiast would not pay. We're talking well over $40! So what's a girl to do? We put our creativity to the test and came up with a cost efficient way to achieve this look without having to spend a dime.


What you will need:

• Base Coat
• Bright Color Lacquer (for contrast)
• Black Lacquer
• Top Coat
• Olive Oil (in a polish bottle for easy application)
• Q-Tips
• Rubbing Alcohol

Step 1: Apply your favorite base coat to protect your nails from the colored coat.

 Step 2: Apply a bright color for contrast.

Step 3: Use an empty polish bottle to apply the oil to your completely dried nails. Using the oil makes it easier to lift the black polish in step 6.

Step 4: Pour the alcohol into the cap and soak the Q-tip.

Step 5: Cover the entire colored surface with the black polish. Don't worry if it clumps up.

Step 6: Use the alcohol soaked Q-tip to create spotted patterns on top of the nail.

Step 7: Seal your creation with a top coat.

In the end, your design should be a replica of what it would actually look like if you used the OPI Black Spotted Top Coat. It's quick, easy, and free!

Would you try this nail trend?

Want to save time and buy the real thing? Get it on Ebay HERE

- Gracie J.

Steal Her Chic: Michelle Obama In Pink Michael Kors

Last night, our glowing First Lady Michelle Obama was spotted looking oh-so-chic (when does she not look amazing?) in a hot pink Michael Kors tailored suit.  

She topped off her look with natural makeup, sleek hair and a string of pearls. I thought she looked absolutely stunning - didn't you?

Steal her chic with the following pieces:

Instaweek 10.15

So it's definitely been almost a month since my last Instaweek update. To say it's been busy is a severe understatement. Crazy month but I'm hoping to get back to my regular 'gramming this week. Anyhoo, here's what my crazy life has been like for the past few weeks:

- All Clear: So I did another cleanse/detox (I'm getting good at these things!) last week. This one came courtesy the lovely folks at CLEAR Haircare  - it was a 2-day juice cleanse by Pressed Juicery. I'd definitely recommend it. The juices were really tasty and surprisingly I didn't get very hungry at all.

- Bejeweled: So in September I attended the Lucky FABB conference as a kickoff to NYFW. On top of the fact that I had a blast, they gave us some pretty awesome gifts. I'm currently obsessed with everything from t+j Designs (that Gold Spike bracelet top right was a gift from them, and the jewels top middle are theirs as well) as well as my new Caravelle by Bulova rosegold watch.

- Barack The Vote: I'm sure you guys have been keeping up with all the hooplah regarding the upcoming election. Make sure you're registered to vote! Can't stress enough how important that is. Though I'm clearly standing behind our current president,  political affiliation doesn't matter. Just make sure you're doing your civic duty. Huge shoutout to Modern Day Mogul for sending over one of their Obama bowties. Isn't it adorbs? Can't wait to style it!

- Throwback Thursday: I'm officially obsessed with everyone's kiddie pics and embarrassing photos flooding my Instagram & Twitter timeline on Thursdays. If you haven't checked out our modern twist on the Throwback Thursday trend, get into it. And send over those kiddie pics! Don't make me come after you.

I'm in need of some new Instagram peeps! Leave your username below so I can #followback

Follow me on Instagram (@LoveBrownSugar) for the latest & greatest from my smartphone excursions!

Cover Girls: Solange for Elle South Africa

Solange Knowles is on an epic roll this month. She's been spotted giving us glam red carpet moments, singing & dancing all over South Africa in her newest video "Losing You" and now as a precursor to her upcoming album's release, Solo graces the November cover of ELLE South Africa.

Dubbed "Fashion's New It-Girl", the songstress and fashionista is seen sporting her favorite attire - mixed prints! And of course the curls are abundant and she's rocking a statement lip.

Don't you love this look? Can't wait to see the full spread!

UPDATE (10/15): See behind-the-scenes pics from Solange's full spread below!

Source: Elle South Africa

Cover Girls: Rihanna for VOGUE Magazine

Earlier this morning (round 6am), everyone's favorite bad girl Rihanna posted a sneak peek at her VOGUE November 2012 cover story to her Instagram. She's spotted in a cornfield giving a vampy red lace moment. The cover was shot by fashion photographer extraordinaire Annie Leibovitz (thanks, Fashionista, for the tip). 

1) I can't wait to see this full spread. 2) I'm hyped about her next album dropping this November. 3) Is she rocking the hell out of this pixie cut or what?

Thoughts on the cover?

UPDATE (10/15): Peep pics from the full spread below!

Source: Vogue.com

VIDEO: Motown The Musical Coming To Broadway

So you guys know how much I STAN for the Motown era, right? I'm always down for a throwback moment and my taste in clothing is normally a mix of modern trends and retro 60's or 70's pieces. I'm also a die-hard Diana Ross fan (hence my obsession with her delightful spawn Tracee Ellis Ross).

The entire Motown era fascinates me beyond belief.  Movies like Dreamgirls, The Jackson Five and Sparkle? I live for them.  For those of you like me, I've got news that will make you dance (like bands)...

Motown The Musical is coming to life in early 2013! They will be kicking off the show on Broadway in NYC staring in March 2013. The show will chart Motown founder Berry Gordy's journey from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul, launching the careers of music greats like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and more.

I can only imagine the faboosh retro fashions they're working on for costume production. And that hair will surely be laid. Can't wait!

Grab a sneak peek here:

For more info, check out the site: http://www.motownthemusical.com/

Anyone else hyped about this? Who's your favorite Motown artist?