Sidewalk Stalker: Precious Stones in SoHo

So street vendors in NYC are my absolute favorite retailers. Not only can you talk them down on prices, but they have some of the hottest stuff that has never and will never see the flourescent light of a bricks & mortar store. There's just something so authentic and original about picking out a piece off the sidewalk. Hence the start of my new weekly column: "Sidewalk Stalker". For all you ladies who ask where I get my fancy jewels, alot of times they come as a result of my "sidewalk stalking" aka scoping out street vendors. Here's one of my faves...

 His name is "G" and his "store" is located in SoHo on Broadway between Prince and Spring. He makes these amazing pieces of jewelry with wire and precious stone. And his prices are so great. I purchased a double finger ring from him with tiny turquoise stones for only about $14.

 Loved these fish scaled necklaces he was selling. The green one was my fave!

He makes all types of accessories with the stones. I thought these metal headbands were really cute and creative. Stay tuned for more Sidewalk Stalker adventures. If you're ever in town and you happen to pay "G" a visit (On Broadway between Prince and Spring) tell him LoveBrownSugar sent ya!

Confessions of a Shopaholic: H&M Fashion Against AIDS

 As you all know I'm a HUGE proponent of fashion initiatives that benefit the greater good in some way, shape or form. A while back I posted about the ASOS Africa collection and how it benefits fair labor practices in Africa. People like to demean the relevance of fashion and the industry because it allegedly isn't "curing cancer" or "saving lives" but I beg to differ. Not only is fashion therapeutic but there are also tons of initiatives out there that use fashion as a means to raise funds that support real issues - AIDS being a huge one. So, everyone's favorite low priced retailer H&M has taken it upon themselves to introduce for the 3rd consecutive year - Fashion Against Aids; an entire line of clothing devoted to raising money for AIDS research. I'm absolutely in love with every piece...

(Tunic, $34.95)

When I first saw this tunic, my eyes widened to twice normal size. I'm absolutely in love with the color and the lace outer lining. Reminds me of the Abu Dhabi scenes in Sex & The City 2 Movie! Anyone seen it yet?

(Sandals, 24.95)

As a huge fan of tribal print, I can so appreciate these flats. They're the perfect statement piece to jazz up any summer outfit.

(Dress, $24.95)

I love the girly, ruffly silhouette of this piece. And let's not even talk about the print. Peach zebra print?! I die...

(Men's Tshirt, $12.95)

I see myself rocking this one with jean cutoff shorts a few wooden bangles and jeweled flats. Again,loving the print!

I was able to snag a few pieces of my own. Two of my favorites: the printed harem pants and the zebra braided necklace...

Here's a twitpic of me rocking both:

I decided to hike up my harems and tuck a transparent black top into them. My fave peeptoe booties and the zebra necklace top off the look! Below is a promo video from H&M's fashion vids about the collection...

ATTENTION: This collection is Limted Edition! So make sure you snab your pieces now, before it's too late. Check HM.com for locations.

Image Source

Fierce or Foolish: Ciara at MoMa

Ciara showed up to the Museum of Modern Art last night for an art gallery closing hosted by the fashion company she's a muse for - Givenchy...

I'm assuming this lovely floor length gown is Givenchy as well. What do you guys think about her dress? 

Of course it's glam, but do you think it fits her? Soundoff below!

Image Source

LoveBrownSugar Giveaway: Kelsi Dagger

Happy summer lovelies! I trust everyone kicked off the official beginning to the spring season with an amazing Memorial Day weekend. My weekend was spent between children's birthday parties (my nephew just turned 1), 5 flights of stairs (just moved into a new apartment on the 5th floor of a walk up) and Memorial Day BBQ's. It was a full and entertaining weekend for sure. Because of all the craziness of the past few weeks, I haven't been able to post religiously per usual. But it's June now, it's officially summer and your girl is back in action! This week's giveaway is once again courtesy one of my fave brands Kelsi Dagger!

Seriously guys, if you haven't checked out their summer lineup, you're in for a treat. Last time around I gave away a lovely pair of the Karinas to Bethany S. This time, I'm giving away these Grace stilettos...

 I paired them with one of my absolute favorite vintage pieces of all time. I purchased this lace button down dress at least 6 years ago, while in high school. It's been a mainstay in my summer wardrobe ever since. I figured what better romantic pairing than a lace dress and these sparkly cinderella-gone-edgy heels from Kelsi Dagger...

Dress: Vintage, Necklace: Charming Charlie, Pearl Bracelets: H&M, Shoes: Kelsi Dagger

One lucky LBS reader will snag a pair of these wonderful heels for good! All you have to do is the following for your chance to win:

1) Become a fan of Kelsi Dagger and LoveBrownSugar on Facebook

2) Follow @KelsiDagger and @LoveBrownSugar on Twitter

3) Comment below!

Contest ends Friday, June 11th, 2010 at 12AM EST. The winner will be randomly chosen from comments below. Good luck!

LoveBrownSugar Feature: RACHEL Rachel Roy

Ok, my last bit of shameless promotion for a while, I promise! Just wanted to share this photo for you that the wonderful Steven Duarte shot of me last week...

 This is one of the printed scarves from the RACHEL Rachel Roy collection. She sent us one scarf and asked each Honey editor to style it their own way. I decided to do a trendy look and rock it as a turban.The pics turned out great! Some of us rocked it romantic, others edgy or funky fresh. To see how each of us styled the scarf, check out the article on Honeymag.com...

Spring Fashion Trends: Milk & Honey

 So I haven't done any shameless promotion on here in a while. Ever so often I like to pop in and let you guys know what I'm up to over at Honey. This week I had the privilege of compiling Honey's spring fashion trend story. A major privilege for me. I'm honored. Check out our spring fashion editorial affectionately entitled "Milk & Honey"...

 Stay on trend with a little Honey flavor. Leisure suits were huge on the Spring 2010 runways from Richard Chai to Adam and 3.1 Phillip Lim. Stay on trend with a neutral bottom, but give the look a tribal twist and rock a printed blazer up top.

  Continue the printed trend with another popular silhouette for 2010 – the cropped jumper (left above). Seen on the runways of Honey faves like Charlotte Ronson, Marc Jacobs and DKNY, the cropped jumper carries effortless chic appeal. Add a leather jacket and straw fedora for good measure. Not only is the maxi dress flattering for almost all shapes and sizes, a delicately tailored vest on top adds menswear-inspired edge.

Accessories are everything. Quickly take a plain oxford and cutoffs look into a Hollywood- ready ensemble with over-sized shades and a patterned scarf up top (below right). Never underestimate the power of a statement piece. Bold boyfriend blazers in painted prints give life to an understated ensemble (below left).

Ripped jeans are not only a Honey fave around the office, they are a huge trend this season. Adding bright pops of color to a light colored pair makes an even sweeter impact...

*Sidebar: I absolutely love this products shot...these bags are awesome:

For more pics and spring trends, and more of my fashion features check Honeymag.com! My byline reads "By C.Brown"

LBS Giveaway: And The Winner Is...

Congratulations to Bethany S for winning the Kelsi Dagger Karina Wedge giveaway! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do...

 Thanks so much everyone for commenting. Just a heads up, I'll have another Kelsi Dagger Giveaway running at the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled. The next pair I'm giving away are ah-ma-zing!

Good luck!

Confessions of a Shopaholic: LaQuan Smith Lookbook

I'm absolutely in love with new designer Laquan Smith's lookbook. First, he used one of my fave models Sessilee Lopez. She looks absolutely fierce in this lookbook spread. Next, his designs are DOPE! They've been featured in Vogue and he's even a young mentee of fashion greats like Andre Leon Talley. Love his stuff so much, I shouted hium out in my Clutch Mag Feature Monday's Muse as one of my fave designers. I mean, what else is there to say? I love young black telent. He's doing his thing...

 Loving the construction on his pieces. Exaggerated shoulders - check. Impeccable construction - check. Love it!

If this isn't a pencil skirt, I don't know what is...

This Sea Urchin dress has been seen on singer/model Cassie post Met Gala:

For more information on LaQuan Smith visit laquansmith.com and follow him on @LaQuanSmith