[VIDEO] Beyonce for H&M Behind The Scenes

If the campaign photos just weren't enough, H&M is hitting you with another injection of Beyonce as Mrs. Carter for their Summer 2013 Collection but this time in the form of a behind-the-scenes video. Only instead of it being documentary-style, it's actually a mini music video of Queen Bey belting out her newest single "Standing on the Sun" while donning H&M swimwear.

If this isn't the coolest brand partnership this YEAR. Not only is Ms. Carter giving life in a high-waisted patterned bikini, beachside. She's also leaking new music. Win-win!

Check it out below:

NEWS: Beyonce for H&M Summer 2013 Campaign FULL Spread

Last month, LBS announced that songstress and media mogul Beyonce would be featured in H&M's 2013 Summer Campaign. Among the bazillion other ways Ms. Knowles has taken over 2013. She's now the face of on of our favorite fast fashion retailers. Well, we've finally got the full spread of promo images for you, straight from the shores of Nassau, and Mrs. Carter looks hot hot hot! Check it out:

On the Bahamas shoot:

“I loved shooting the campaign in the Bahamas,” says Beyoncé of the photoshoot shot by Jonas Åkerlund, the same photog who shot the TV commercial for her upcoming Mrs. Carter Show World Tour.

“We shot on a beach outside of Nassau and the weather was perfect. The shoot was filled with vibrant colors and was inspired by the glamour of the late ‘70s.” 

On her summer style:

“I love the summer. I'm always in shorts, dresses, light, flowing fabrics, great sandals,” says Beyoncé of her summer looks. She credits her stylists Ty Hunter and Raquel Smith as “an influential part of the process” each day.

On her mother's style influence:

“I think my style comes from watching my mother from the time I was a little girl. She was so stylish. She was the first person I saw mix high end pieces with more accessible styles and make it all work. I'm also inspired by my sister, I love her bold approach.”

Source: Grazia Daily

UPDATE (5/2): Below find even more pictures from the Beyonce as Mrs. Carter for H&M collaboration. Beyonce is modeling the H&M for Water collection, for which 25% of the sale price will be donated to sustainable water projects.

Loving this patterned crop top! At only $14.95, you can't beat that.

I LIVE for a maxi dress in the summertime. This piece is first on my list to purchase. Black & white, patterned and sext high-slits? Just my type!

Thoughts on Beyonce's pics? Will you be purchasing any pieces from the collection?

Beyonce for H&M Summer 2013 Campaign

The rumors have been going around since January, but it's now officially confirmed! Amidst the Beyonce world takeover comes another power play by the songstress and mogul. Beyonce is the face of H&M's summer 2013 campaign. The retailer flew Queen Bey (who apparently, according to a brand rep, gave "personal input on the pieces seen in the campaign") off to the Bahamas to shoot the summer collection.

Related: Beyonce for Vogue March

Once images are released, we can expect to see the star lounging beachside in the latest swimwear and summer attire from H&M's summer collection. "I've always liked H&M's focus on fun affordable fashion. I really loved the concept we collaborated on to explore the different emotions of women represented by the four elements - fire, water, earth and wind," says Beyonce. "It was a beautiful shoot on a tropical island. It felt more like making a video than a commercial."

H&M, the beach and Beyonce - three of my favorite things. Can't wait to see the rest of the campaign!

What do you guys think about Beyonce as the face of H&M?

Source: Vibe Vixen

LoveBrownSugar Chic: Not Quite SXSW

It was one of those days when I didn't think I had anything to wear. But let's be real, we fashionistas always have something to wear, even when we have "nothing" to wear.

So it went from being a need-to-do-laundry-therefore-nothing-to-wear kinda day to a jeans, t-shirt and sneaks moment. I'm bummed I didn't get a chance to head to Austin, Texas this year to participate in South by Southwest. A few months ago while perusing the men's tee section at Buffalo Exchange, I stumbled on this old SXSW tee and decided to purchase it with the intent of wearing it there.

Life got in the way, as it tends to do, but hopefully I'll make it down next year.

My St.Patrick's Day mani is still going strong (DIY tutorial here). Perfect compliment to an arm party.

 Ever heard the phrase "Been there, done that, bought a T-shirt?" Well, I just bought the T-shirt. *shrugs*

Even though I prefer dresses and silky blouses to jeans & tees, every once in a while it's cool to switch it up.

Leather Jacket: Vintage (similar here) | SXSW Tee: Buffalo Exchange | Jeans: Joe Fresh | Sneakers: H&M (similar here) | Beanie: Street Vendor | Bag: Street Vendor | Watch c/o Caravelle by Bulova (similar here for $89.99) | Rope Chain: H&M | Nameplate c/o Nameplate Depot

Get The Look:

Silver Jeans Style Wars: Day 2

It's my second day rocking Silver Jeans as part of the Style Wars challenge, and I could really get used to this! Seriously, these jeans are so comfortable. For my second post I decided to style their Sam Boyfriend Jeans ($85.00) with a few new pieces in my wardrobe.

I had been looking for a mixed leather/cargo jacket since last season but couldn't find one just perfect for me, until I stumbled on this one at H&M a few week ago. I blogged about it here in my LBS in LA post as well. It's my new favorite piece of outerwear.

It goes really well with pretty much anything. I love how it looks with cropped boyfriend jeans and heels.

I scored these heels on sale at Zara about a month ago. Couldn't wait to put them on!

Can't wait to rock these in the spring with a super cute tailored dress. I love that they're neutrals with a pop of color.

For my handbag, I pulled out an oldie but a goodie. My vintage Coach Willis Bag ($298). I wore my street vendor bangles, my Michael Kors watch and Crown Midi Rings by TNEMNRODA ($30).

Ok guys, you know what to do! Head over to the Silver Jeans Facebook Page and vote for Team East Coast (including me!) Just 'like' our photos on the Facebook page to cast your vote. Also, stay tuned! Tomorrow I'm giving away a pair of Silver Jeans to one of you lovelies. Can't wait!

LoveBrownSugar Chic: Airing The Laundry

So I finally have a real winter coat. Yes, it took me until Christmas to buy a winter coat that wasn't paper thin. Though I've had some good times with my Zara cape, it doesn't keep me warm at night. No, it literally doesn't keep me warm at night. So, I hightailed it to Burlington Coat Factory and picked up this Laundry by Shelli Segal beauty.

It's warm, it's a great neutral color that matches with everything, and it has a fur collar. Three must-haves that were on my check list.  It also saves enough room for layering. Here I paired it with a polka dot top from H&M and my Suki Jeggings ($89.00) from Silver Jeans.

 It's easy for your ensemble to look drab and boring when you're piling on neutral colors. I keep it fresh by adding pops of color in with my accessories.

These sneaker wedges have been collecting dust in my shoe corner for a few months now. They've finally made their debut.

 I'm in love with them. Scored them at H&M!

I'm not usually a hat girl, but I've gotten more into them this season. It's hard getting these curls under anything honestly.

Coat: Laundry by Shelli Segal (similar) | Top: H&M (similar) | Jeans c/o Silver Jeans | Sneakers: H&M (similar) | Bag: Urban Outfitters | Bangles: Street Vendor | Watch c/o Ice Watch | Necklace c/o Stella & Dot | Ring: Yumnah Najah | Cap: Street Vendor

I'll have a beauty post up later this week highlighting the beauty products I used in this post as well so stay tuned.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: Westfield's Garden State Plaza Mall

The weekend after Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to take a mini shopping trip not too far from home at Westfield’s Garden State Plaza Mall. Instead of jumping head first into Black Friday madness, I waited a day and decided to brave the bricks & mortar jungle on Saturday.

The lovely folks at Westfield offered me the opportunity to venture out to Garden State Plaza and give their shopping shuttle a try. For those of you who live in the NYC area (or are planning to visit sometime before Christmas), Westfield is offering a FREE shuttle bus every Monday - Saturday until December 24th to the Garden State Plaza mall, only 20 minutes from Manhattan. That’s right, they will take you there and bring you back for FREE.99 up until Christmas Eve.

I picked up my free shuttle ticket at the CitySights NY Visitor Center inside the Madame Toussuad's Museum, and I boarded the bus on their 11:00AM shuttle right across the street.  I was at the mall in less than 30 minutes (it’s a super short trip)! This is a great alternative for those of us city folk who want the traditional “mall” shopping experience but don’t want to venture into the depths of the suburbs to get it.

The shuttle ride is really quick and the Garden State Plaza mall has everything from your traditional H&Ms and Bath & Body Works’ to mass department stores like Neiman Marcus and even super luxe designer boutiques like Michael Kors.

I stopped into quite a few places including their H&M (snagged some great winter sweaters), Nine West (scored an amazing pair of fur wedge booties for only $70!), Madewell (super cute Keds x Madewell sneakers) and MAC Cosmetics (to restock on my Ruby Woo before the holiday season).

All in all, the shopping trip was beyond enjoyable. I was there early enough to avoide the crazy crowds and super long lines AND I traveled for FREE. Win-win. 

For more information on the shuttle bus schedule to Garden State Plaza, click HERE. 

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Disclaimer: I was gifted a $200 gift card for taking my shopping trip, but was not obligated to post about my experience. All opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect those of the company.

Cover Girls: Jennifer Hudson for Lucky Magazine

The lovely and talented actress/songstress Jennifer Hudson covers Lucky Magazine's January 2013 issue. I'm beyond excited to see a woman of color gracing their cover to start off the 2013 year. I think Jennifer looks amazing in her 7 For All Mankind denim jacket, DKNY top, and H&M skirt. See below for a few quick snippets from her cover story with Lucky Magazine:

On her personal style: "My style has always been … odd," she says. “I call it being free, expressing myself. You know, creative people? We like to express ourselves. When I was a little girl, I liked to cut up my clothes—we called it Jenniferizing. Or a J. Original! Just because it came that way doesn’t mean you have to wear it that way.” Hudson designed her own prom dress, her own Easter dress, dress after dress. “I would sketch it, and my mom and I would pick out the fabric and we’d have it made! I love to sketch! Everybody else was about the name brands—I’d go to Payless and get something nobody else had!”

On her biggest fashion inspiration, her grandfather: “The most stylish person in my family was definitely him—he’d take you into his closet and be like, ‘Hey! You need to wear this, Jenny!’ ” She laughs at the memory. “He was dressed down, honey, his closet, his clothes, they were sharp. He would pick things out of his for me to wear, and they were always perfect. That’s why I love menswear.”

On how her friends in Chicago think of her style: “I am the strangest thing—my style is utterly weird to them. They’ll be like, ‘Is that a witch hat, why are you wearing that witch hat? What is that hat? I mean, leather shorts? With boots? In the winter??’ They do not understand.”

On her favorite shopping destinations: “I leave the red-carpet stuff to the stylists,” she says. “For everyday, my two favorites are Urban Outfitters and Forever 21. And Nasty Gal! I love that place! Every time I go there, I want everything new that they have. All Saints, too, I love. Then there’s Michael Kors, Givenchy, Rick Owens—I like things that are dramatic in a subtle way. “When Jennifer has free time, I am shopping! I go through every rack because I might’ve missed a piece! Where I live I can walk right out onto Michigan Avenue and shop—walk, not drive—I’ve got to walk! Plus, you forget about eating when you’re shopping.”

The January issue of Lucky magazine is on nationwide newsstands December 11th.

Thoughts on this cover?

Photo Credit: Ruven Afanador for Lucky Magazine

LoveBrownSugar Chic: Sneak Peak

Sneakers, fitted caps and backpacks. Yes, I'm about that Tomboy life this season. As a "girly girl" who normally wouldn't be caught dead without a flouncy skirt and platform wedges on, this is a true testament to the versatility of personal style.

Although I'll never give up on my A-line skirts, dresses or my heels, this winter I'm saving room for boyish staples I otherwise wouldn't be caught dead in.

Why? Because I can. And why the hell not? Our grade school favorites have been given an adult upgrade.

 Trends are all about embracing them with your own personal stamp. So here's mine.

Blazer: Vintage (similar) | Dress: H&M (similar) | Bag: Vintage (similar) | Sneaker Wedges: Forever 21 (similar) | Nameplate: Shame on Jane (similar here for under $90) | Spike Bracelet: c/o t+j Designs | Ring: c/o Stella & Dot | Bangles: Street Vendor | Watch: Michael Kors

Get The Complete Look:

What grade school staples are you embracing this season? Soundoff below!

- Photography by Sharifa S. Daniels