Would you be surprised if I tell you that not everything at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in NYC is great? Of course not! I wil not only tell you that some collections were simply NOT suppposed to be allowed on the runway but I will show you some examples. Even the models look a bit confused with the "jogger wonder woman, sock tied around my head" look.

Lacoste, Herrera & Baby Phat: what the f@%! were you thinking?  Call me crazy but, come on! It is true that high end fashion designers with a name have a free-for-all liscence but sometimes, once in a while, some things, just don't make any sense.
What do you think? I say NO.
 

JLo closes NY Fashion Week Spring 2008 with a few thumbs up! 

JustSweet, JLo’s new fashion line introduced earlier this year, presented its Fashion Show at Eye Beam during NY Fashion Week Spring 2008 on Tuesday, September 11. The “JLO by Jennifer Lopez” brand launched in 2001 but was phased out with JustSweet.

JLo staged the surprise JustSweet show, as she took to the catwalk herself at Eyebeam studios after her models wearing a trendy lime green mini-dress from her new fashion line.

She called JustSweet "a fantasy - classic inspiration but with a new, kind of funky spin. Girls who are young are going to wear it… to feel sophisticated, because it does have a chic kind of feeling to it, but people who are older who wear it are going to feel young, flirty and fun. It really has a nice mix." We agree and we like JustSweet being just oneword.

SPELL IT, DON'T SAY IT
So your girlfriend is being a bitch. Your wife can't stop yelling. Your boss, boyfriend or co-worker are giving you a hard time. On top of it you don't have the guts to act out or stand for yourself.
What do you do? Don't runaway. How about wearing this tee!

Find more crazy cool tees and learn about COKEECITO their mascot at
Cokee Studio or MYSPACE.COM/COKEECITO

Call me a hater
Or call me half drunk
But last night I attended the “Block-Party” for the launch of a new Diesel Jean Store on Melrose Ave. and amidst Paris Hilton and other celebrities who’s names I don’t really know…

I felt like a green pea inside of a white rice bowl.

Though I have to admit I was impressed by the New Diesel Line.

I walked into the store with my pre-conceived judgements about Diesel being this posh, European, unaccessible brand with little-to-no-cute factor catering to skinny rich models and old, desperate housewives with phat bank accounts….so I was pleasantly surprised to see the wide selection of very creative garments…..and SWEATSHOP FREE!….which ranged from $90 to $200 for regular clothing and then $400 to about $800….for the one-of-a-kind designs…..NOW…I COULD ARGUE THAT A $400 SHIRT COULD FEED A WHOLE VILLAGE IN AFRICA FOR A MONTH, AND HOW AN $800 DRESS COULD PROVIDE RUNNING WATER FOR A CITY IN INDIA!….BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER ARTICLE….

 NOW…BACK TO LAST NIGHT'S EVENT….!

Everything was WAAAAAAAAAAAAY HOLLYWOOD!
So much that it almost made me sick!
If it hadn’t been for the great food selection and the Open Bar….i may have not lasted 10 minutes at this party…

HOLLYWOOD IS SO OVER RATTED…..
If we were to collect all the silicone and botox at that party….we could build a plastic city!…Most of the women were under-fed and masked behind heavy make-up.
Usually I always admire how beautiful women are in relation to men….but at this party….the men were way more interesting looking than most of the women there!

The women were almost cookie-cutter…..whereas the men, seemed to have a little bit more creative freedom to express themselves in the way they dressed….my roommate mentioned that it was because most of the men at the party were gay and in the fashion world….and therefore knew how to put themselves together well!

I also think that this is partly because women have a lot more pressure by this industry as to what they can and cannot wear, how much cleavage in relation to leg, they must show, how much their worth is measured by what they wear, etc. whereas i dont feel that men have these same limitations and pressures from the industry! 

THOUGH THE FOOD WAS SOOOOOOOO GOOD…..I was embarrassed to eat ….looking at all the anorexic bodies surrounding me…belonging to both men and women…..i almost felt fat standing by the food table….FOR A SECOND…soon enough….I got over it and induldged in every dish that servers brought my way (at least twice)! From delisiouc veggie kebabs in mango bbq sauce to chocolate covered strawberries, cakes and more….I was in food heaven!….

Other than that….the event was not as glamorous as most tabloids would make it seem….A lot of white people, and some lost people of color amidst the whiteness….

A lot of high fashion, uppity smokers, a lot of celebrity struck guests, and ofcourse…it wouldnt be a Hollywood party without the wannabe actors and actresses mingling and hoping for their big break…

Everyone lonely and desperate to meet someone! (If I were to get  a dollar for every time I overheard groups of people talking about “that hot guy at 11 o’ clock” I would be rich and not have to write for a living…..)

SO yes…after getting drunk on wannabe Italian beer, and some vodka/cranberries….we left the overrated, upscale totally Hollywood-esque scene to join our peoples on the East Side at the Dub Club…where we danced the night away, picked up on cute revolutionary straight girls and had a Blast!!!!

Greetings to my readers!

Thank you for your time and support!

Pre-performance anxiety I call it….cause most of the time….i’m very positive about all the things that I do, and always trust that the outcome will be a reflection of my hard work!

And indeed…….

As the space reached OVER CAPACITY……folks began crowding in the back, where they could not see the stage, but where they could still listen to the music and the poetry….So many people came out…..that by 9:30pm….folks stood outside of the coffee shop, looking in through the window in silence also trying to hear the art that was being shared on stage.

It was amazing!!!! And then everybody stayed after the show to meet the artists, to purchase books, cds, art prints, and more!

WHAT TOUCHED ME THE MOST…..was seeing how community really does come together to support local art! I was both humbled and inspired by my fans who’s participation in this event allowed me to raise $600 towards my new book “In the Wake of Oya”

Anyhow…..FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED THE SHOW…..OR WHO LOVED IT SO MUCH YOU WANT TO REMENISCE….

I have uploaded some footage from the event!

Below is a video of Patrisse Cullors and Kelly Archbold doing a dance rendition of  “Sugar in my Bowl” by Nina Simone

Below is a video of me, performing my poem "The Latino Forecast" from my new book "In The Wake of Oya"

Check back tomorrow for more footage of my performance at Hustle and Flow!