In a recent illustration cartoonist Lunch Breath breaks down trendability across these United States, are you from the States? If so, where do you fall?

A few random notes:

Solange Knowles (via  Twitter) mentioned a few weeks ago, the last black woman on the cover of Nylon was Lil’ Kim in 2003.

I am a bit obsessed with Zoe Saldana (have I mentioned this before?) who is Dominican.

Zoe was a blue person in Avatar so you know, blue… Did you watch Avatar? If you didn’t I won’t spoil it by telling you why that is relevant, but seriously, where have you been?

Here are some tidbits from the Nylon interview:

Zoe Saldana’s leading role in the most successful film of all time may have been along time coming, but she’s just getting started.  Here, the actress speaks candidly about Avatar, racism in Hollywood, and doing her homework in a mango tree.  Here’s a peek at what’s inside – read the whole story in our April issue!

On moving from New York City to the Dominican Republic at age 9:
“We went from this urban life to running around barefoot in the countryside and being taught how to gut fish.  We were learning how to climb coconut trees – let me tell you, they are fucking dangerous!… I would do my homework in guava and mango trees.”

On learning dance as a child:
“That was the beginning of a beautiful fucking romance.  That was my Xanax, let me tell you… it put all my demons in order.”

On Hollywood casting:
“When they say ‘We want to go white,’ they have a very smooth way of saying it, and the recent one is the word traditional.  [I’ve heard] ‘Oh, you know, you’re just not what we were looking for, your skin is a little darker.’  Compared to what?!  My skin is just my skin.  It’s dark if you compare it to someone who’s lighter.”

On meeting James Cameron:
“I’m thinking he probably imagined some Amazonian girl [for Neytiri] – I had really long hair at the time – wearing really little shit with like, a bow and arrow.  I had no idea she was blue and nine feet tall.  But for some reason, he was like, ‘You look so much like her!’”
–INTERVIEW BY LUKE CRISELL (source)

Yes, it’s okay to subscribe to NYLON again. Woop!

New York, before the recession, was a breeding ground for young designers, overrun with labels that became overnight sensations merely because the industry willed them to be so, a phenomenon that can largely be traced to the example of Zac Posen. Young and connected, he had the attention of important fashion people while he was still a teenager, working as an intern for the designer Nicole Miller and building a network of friends that would include the children of famous artists, magazine editors, actors and PresidentGeorge W. Bush. When Naomi Campbell wore a dress he made — while he was still a student at a London arts college — it seemed as if it was his destiny to become a famous fashion designer. Now young designers think good looks plus diploma equals business plan.

As Mr. Posen put it: “The variables have become pretty clear. Do you feel comfortable having your photo taken? And can you talk, and get sponsorship? I mean, it’s really that crude.”

This is an excerpt of a great article over at the New York Times.

Ironically, I was talking about this last night with my flat-mates… Fashion, showmanship, photographers, fame and sponsorship from backers who may end up owning your name. Then fashion. How much do you want it?

Read article HERE.

You need to buy it when it comes out (Feb 5), this book will give you the necessary life tips your mom forgot to share, or maybe she didn’t know, because maybe your mom was not a pr genius uber fashionista, like Kelly Curtone. Maybe she wasn’t on a fake reality tv show, and not really, actually, really, working very hard in fashion pr at all… Maybe you want to be on your own reality show? Maybe you understand what Kelly really means when she demands you have a passion for fashion.

Ultimately, you need this book…

The Awakening. Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance – Will Durant.

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