Bravo’s brand new show, Launch My Line hosted by designers and twin brothers Dan & Dean Caten of DSquared2, will be premiering tonight at 11pm on the hit station. For all you wondering, “what the heck is a Launch My Line?”, here is some background info on the show:

Ten well-known professionals, who are highly regarded in their own field of expertise, are paired with ten established fashion experts. The ten teams are put to the test, as they have to rely on each other’s expertise to produce a cohesive fashion line.

For their first challenge, the teams must create a signature piece for their collection. While some teams hit it off from the start, other teams have to work hard not to hit each other. Tempers flare and the pressure is high as everyone wants to impress the judges and win this first challenge.

Here is the preview for the show, that has been airing on Bravo:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5aeORtaDgw&feature=player_embedded]

You can check out more about the show here.

Christian Siriano, who is the youngest and perhaps fiercest designer to ever walk away the “Project Runway” winner honor, has not only established himself as a designer to look out for, but now as an author to watch too:

Although he got his start on a fashion competition reality show (we all know the stigma that comes with those!), he proved that he his no over night sensation or one-hit wonder. He has extended his 15 minutes of fame into a soon-to-be lifetime of design. After debuting his first collection at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week in Fall 2008, to rave reviews, he has been continuous with the hits! And in a frugalista’s dream collaboration, he turned heads when he brought his fierce footwear to save-savvy retailer, Payless Shoe Source.

Here is a word from the publisher:

In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood’s biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams — along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don’ts, Christian shows how to use one’s unique strengths to get ahead – and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

This book is definitely a must-have in every fashionista’s book shelf. It embody’s everything I’ve been trying to bring to my fabulous FM readers, the development of personal style. Buy from Amazon.com for $16.31. You can also check out the interview he did with ELLE Magazine, talking about his new book, here.

After 13 seasons of America’s Next Top Model, I think it’s about that time the plug gets pulled. 13 young women who were promised the opportunity to be what Tyra Banks was in her hay-day, a top model. 13 winners, 13 beautiful women, 13 dreams materialized, and not 1 top model:

I’m sure all the winners, runner-up’s, and contestants have achieved some level of success in their own right, but again: NOT ONE TOP MODEL. Which is the basis of the show. It’s not America’s Next Mediocre Model, America’s Next Book-At-Least-One-Job-Per-Fashion-Week Model, America’s Next Damn-I-Can’t-Even-Get-A-Spread-In-Teen-Vogue? Model, it’s AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL. Name one model, a winner, who has left the show to achieve prime fashion industry success. I’m talking about snatching up an ad campaign for Bottega Veneta, strutting in a Chanel show, at least being the new face of Movado watches! Baby Phat ad? Nothing? Not even a Rocawear endorsement? How about a perfume campaign? Damn it! Even Amber Rose has one of those (no shots fired)!

My thing is, if you can not do for these girls what you promised them to do, what they signed up to do, why bother? Tyra knows a thing or two about leaving the game on a high note, as she did with modeling. So instead of waiting until the show gets canceled due to a decline in viewership, just announce Season 14 as your last season, and develop a new fashion centered show. Where new opportunities are available, new promises are made, new standards are set. Instead of fueling this stigma of unrealistic perfection with a weight and height limit, why don’t you leave the physical requirements alone and base a fashion centered show on something a lot more substantial? Like a skill. No shots fired at you models who put work in to perfect your craft, props to y’all!

When I say a skill, I mean something substantial where there will be no physical limitations… like an editorial opportunity at a major fashion magazine. Or a chance to develop their own (online) magazine. A show centered around young designers (25 & under), and giving them the opportunity to apprentice with a major designer for like 6 months to learn the ropes. A competitive show for entrepreneurs trying to win money to start their own fashion business, the list and ideas and market potential goes on. The point I’m trying to make is, WE GET IT! The only person that doesn’t seem to get it is Tyra and the good ole’ folks over at the CW and Bankable Productions. Oh, and the models don’t get it either. The only thing they get is a short-run CoverGirl contract without the possibility of a renewal. Oh, and representation from a top agency that never books them jobs. Womp womp.

Tyra, if you’re reading this, understand that I’m only reiterating what I hear in coffee shops, book club meetings, round table discussions, chat room debates, and high school hallways. We’re sick of it. And if you really want to show young girls how it’s to be done, as far as being a model goes, show them something a little more realistic. ANTM’s challenges has become more irrelevant to the field of modeling than Diddy’s requirements from his aspiring Making The Band members. (I’m still trying to figure how walking to get cheesecake will transfer to record sales, wake me when we get there).

Tyra, I AM CHALLENGING YOU TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING FRESH, ORIGINAL, NEW, EXCITING, AND REALISTIC! I dare you to be great! Should you accept this challenge?

Sincerely,

Tara Decoda

I’m not sure how many of you watched the first season of ‘The T.O. Show’ on Vh1, but I did. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but when I saw one episode, I was hooked! The one particular episode that drew me in was when Jessica White appeared as Terrell Owen’s date to his best friend/publicist, Kita’s, birthday party. As protective, and some times overbearing friends, Kita and his other best friend/publicist Mo, decided to interrogate Jessica:

Mo: “What do you do?”

Jessica: “I’m a model.”

Mo: “What kind of model?”

Jessica: “Oh, you can google me: Jessica White”

What up, gang-staaa?? Glued to the TV screen waiting for Mo to either pull out her G1 or her razor, I decided to do as Jessica said and google her.

While I have heard of Jessica before, and seen her in magazines, she was never one of the models that stood out to me. And she was by far no Tyra, Naomi, or even Chanel Iman! But she wasn’t a low budget, face down, ass up Smooth magazine “model” either. These are my findings:

Jessica was born in Buffalo, NY (ironic that Terrell got picked up by the Buffalo Bills after getting dropped from the Dallas Cowboys) on June 22, 1984, which makes her 25. She was then discovered at a local mall and signed to IMG Models, and in no time, her career took off. Here are some of her career highlights:

• Snagged a contract with CoverGirl Cosmetics, at 16
• Appeared in the 2001 spring/summer ad campaigns for Chloe
• Appeared in print ad’s for Gap
• In 2005, became the first black model to appear in three consecutive editions of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue
• In 2006, walked in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show
• In 2007, signs contract with Maybelline Cosmetics

She has also dated singer John Legend, rumored to have dated Vin Diesel, as you saw, Terrell Owens, and has been most recently linked to Oscar winning actor, Sean Penn.

Also, in 2007, while making an appearance on The Tyra Show, Tyra dubbed her as “the next big thing in the modeling industry”. Stating she is the future of modeling.

She has also appeared in ad’s for Dereon, and in magazines such as Complex, Giant, Harper’s Bazaar, Teen Vogue, King, and Trace. But besides editorial, she has also walked the runways for top designers such as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs and Tommy Hilfiger, but mostly sticks to editorials.

And there you have it folks, Jessica White. She’s gorgeous, hot body, independent, and “google-able”, couldn’t beat that with a stick!

The Kardashian sisters recently expanded their DASH brand and opened their second location in Miami Beach on Wednesday night [the 20th] at The Clevelander Hotel:

Khloe wore Alexander Wang, Kim wore Herve Leger and an Elizabeth & James necklace & Kourtney wore H&M

With the opening of their new store, E! will give Khloe & Kourtney their own spin off show ‘Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami’, which will chronicle the adventure’s of the two in what Kim calls “the sexiest city”. The store is located on the trendy South Beach strip, fitting into the sexiness, exclusivity & luxury that Miami radiates.

Looks like Bravo has filled it’s fashion void:

With Project Runway officially off of the network, Bravo has picked up another fashion designer competition show: The Fashion Show! The Fashion Show, which like Runway is described as a fashion-design creative competition series. One difference between “Runway” and “Show” is that the winner of the new series — who will have their designs sold by an unspecified retailer — will be chosen by viewers; a panel of judges selects the winner on “Runway”. On the panel of judges, is none other than the fabulous Kelly Rowland. After recently being released from her label Columbia, Ms. Kelly proved that you just can’t keep a good woman down:

She shares judging honors with fashion designer extraordinaire Isaac Mizrahiand Senior VP of IMG Fashion, Fern Mallis:

The show will premiere on Bravo May 7th.