Down in the Trenches: Classic Must Haves

I am always one for a good jacket or coat. People seem to neglect these important timeless wardrobe necessities. While working in the world of personal shopping, I have learned that every real woman should have a trench coat, no matter the cost. Whether it's $35.00 or $1800, a classical trench can take any basic outfit a long way.
Imagine going on a casual stroll in the cool streets of New York or L.A. Your outfit is effortless, styled with the classic rugged Levi's or Calvin Klein's with a fitted white cotton tee and a pair of Tod's sneakers. What's missing?
We all know how unpredictable the weather is with this global warming and all. So why not throw on a trench? And yes watches are just as important to women as they are to the fellas. Below are a few of the my picks from the trench coat all the way to a classic watch. Enjoy!

TOP- Shoes: Tod's (Saks.com), Watch: Hermes Cape Cod (tourneau.com), Sunglasses: Ray Ban
Below- Zara; Banana Republic; Burberry

" Grooming Him For Her" Book Signing

Grooming Him For Her
Book Signing

We featured this book back in November, and since then the book has taken off. The book now has a sequel on it's way

You are cordially invited to join
NeCee
in the celebration of her novella

Book Signing
7:30 – 9:00 P.M.
www.neceeonline.com/home.html

Hosted by Fresh Ideas Entertainment
Friday, April 6, 2007
Gibson Guitar
(Downtown Memphis)
145 Lt. George Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103

http://www.amazon.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
http://www.booksamillion.com
http://hubbooks.biz

Loved the Book
Ms Ray

Zac Posen "Spring collection 07"

Zac Posen

The Label

In 2001, designer Zac Posen was barely old enough to legally toast the immediate success of his start-up business—and at the time, was garnering almost as much press attention for his age as for his comely creations. A favorite of young Hollywood, Posen’s design style is not exactly trend-oriented; instead, his pieces have a timeless nostalgia to them, with bias-cut silhouettes, ruffled satin draping and fishtail hems that often mirror the mastery of Christian Dior and Madame Vionnet.

The DesignerBorn in Brooklyn in 1980, Zac Posen attended the St. Ann’s School for the Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York, and Central St. Martins College in London, but soon abandoned school to pursue his career.

Just a Sweetheart!




My Favorite!
Must Have!

Men's Spring Collection 07

Here are My favorite's of the Spring Collection for Men. I promised more men's fashion, so Voila'!
I hope you enjoy!

Spring 2007 Collection

Valentino

Spring 2007 Collection

Alexander McQueen

Spring 2007 Collection

Hermès

Fashion trends to expect for Spring 2007

Silver metallics was soooo last Fall, try to warm it up with solid gold to glitz it up for this Spring. Try wearing high volume at the top with a bolero or trench coat paired with a light skirt or a pair of shorts and you will have heads turning. I recommend wearing metallics for the evening. If worn in the daytime the sun will blind you and everyone else!





Elie Saab Spring 2007– The Night Life






















































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Sheek Casual wear for the day and evening are a must for the Spring. Comfortable, light, and modern is what you want to go for this year. Anything fussy and over accessorized can look like you're over doing it or trying too hard. Keep it clean, sheek, and sexy!
Check out the collection of Adam + Eve below






Adam + Eve
Spring 07- Causal Sheek























































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Graphics are always fun when you're feeling bold and eccentric. This number Oprah wore to the Oscar's is a great example of a way to wear a graphic print to an event without looking over the top.

Hussein Chalayan- Graphics

Congrats to J Hud & Forrest Whitaker!

J Hud & Forrest Whitaker take home Oscars for Best Supporting Actress & Best Actor

It's exciting to see yet another year of people of color getting better roles, performing them well, and actually get recognition for it! Forrest has been in the acting game for a long time now and his role as Idi Amin was slammin'! If you haven't seen The Last King of Scotland, get your @$$ up and go see it. And, as for Jennifer, this has been an amazing year for her. Some people may argue that her role as Effie could have been done by anyone. While that may be true, for her to have no acting experience at all and make it this far is unbelievable. Not to mention her vocal skills are impeccable, I don't think anyone other than Jennifer Holiday could have sang "you're gonna love me" like her.

Slavery Ties Sharpton to Thurmond

NEW YORK (Feb. 25)
AP

Genealogists have revealed that the Rev. Al Sharpton is a descendent of a slave owned by relatives of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond - a discovery the civil rights activist on Sunday called "shocking."

It's chilling. It's amazing," the Rev. Al Sharpton reportedly said after learning that he's a descendent of a slave owned by relatives of the late Sen. Thurmond

The genealogists, who were not paid by the newspaper, uncovered the ancestral ties using a variety of documents that included census, marriage and death records.

Thurmond, of South Carolina, was once considered an icon of racial segregation. During his 1948 bid for president, he promised to preserve segregation and, in 1957, he filibustered for more than 24 hours against a civil rights bill. ond.



Thurmond's children have acknowledged that Thurmond fathered a biracial daughter with Essie Mae Washington-Williams' mother was a housekeeper in the home of Thurmond's parents.

Ms Ray
Wow!!!!

Inexpensive Getaways For The Winter Blues

Las Vegas Everyone's favorite "Viva Las Vegas"

Gambling and nightlife still reign, but Las Vegas is now also a premier family destination. The city's hotels, resorts and entertainment complexes range from budget to lavish, but the Strip's neon lights are still

Dominican Republic .
The Caribbean's

Hot Vacation Destination!
Santo Domingo
Very good value for money and with a distinctly Latin American twist.
Great night life and very inexpensive.
Check it out.






Paris, France

Save Cash and Avoid Crowds in the Cooler Months

From November through March, there are many hot deals for tours, airfare and lodging in France. Even if you feel Paris is normally out of reach, this is a time to visit on the cheap end. Or this is also an ideal time to book a stay at some of France's finest and most luxurious hotels at a lower cost. As the hotels empty for winter, the savings are deep.

also checkout www.residences-Paris.com very good deals
on apartment living in great areas in Paris.




Ms Ray's Vacation spots

COUPLES!

Sometimes I just feel like talking about people. Whether A or B-list, we see celeb couples in the media all the time, and regardless, we all have something to say. Well, I just feel like doing a little bit of the bumping of the gums tonight.

Nick Cannon with Victoria Secret Model "Whatever-her-name-is"

BooOO! Nick Cannon Sucks to me!
He reminds me of someone annoying that I had a class with in college, and for some reason cute girls took him attractive. He would have definitely been an Alpha. No offense to my FRAT!

Omarion and J-Hud
Not a couple as in relationship, but just coupled in the photo

This pic is funny just because J-Hud's Boob is sitting on O's shoulder, which further lets me know how short he really is. J-hud aint but 5'5". And why does Omarion look like he got dressed to go to his little cousin's graduation dinner?

India Arie and Chris Tucker

It's something mysterious and weird going on with Chris Tucker. I can't quite figure him out. Is he straight, gay, what! The rumor is is that he and India are dating, UUGH! I like India (I'm lying). I just don't feel her style. What's up with the old Gucci Pouch?

Usher and Tameka (his stylist) I want to be happy for her, just because she's in the money. Not to sound like a gold-digger, but who else would date a man who has admittedly hung out at a gay club. Usher is very talented, but also kinda "how you doin?"


Kristen Davis of Sex and the City and Rick Fox (NBA Star)

This is a stupid couple. They both could do better! Rick Fox has such a big head and chin. And Kristen is so ordinary. I never understood why women loved him so much! Rick would have definitely been a Kappa!

Tracy McGrady and his wifeI'm feeling the chinchilla collar but his wife looks like "Summer time in the City"!

Naomi Campbell and Terrence Howard Yes it's true, Terrence and Naomi are dating. My reliable sources (other Blogs) have told me that they have been spotted all over the red carpet and will in fact accompany each other at the Oscars. I thought he was a little confused too, but he found Naomi. Maybe she could bust him in the head a few times to make him act right!

Isiah Washington with Wife (I don't know her name off the top of my head)A great couple. I never have anything negative to say about these two, but can she not looks so damn matronly all the time. I would guess she's in her early forties, but she does not have dress like she's Barbara Walters

Tyson with Random modelI can tell that this pic is from the back stage of a fashion show, therefore, I'ma let him make it with this ridiculous ensemble. But this pic further lets me know how gay he is!

The Dumbest Toys!! ... Very Dumb

Pussycat Dolls

Customers who bought the Peekaboo Pole Dancing Kit and the I-Tattoo probably would've been clueless enough to buy this one too...

To compete with the spectacularly successful Bratz doll phenomenon, Hasbro unveils plans to launch the Pussycat Dolls, aimed at girls as young as 8 years old and modeled after the risqué, burlesque-inspired pop group of the same name.
(Yes, the "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me" Pussycat Dolls.)
After protests by parent groups, Hasbro nixes the line.






I-Tattoo,

Toymaker Spin Master releases the I-Tattoo, a $15 kit for kids ages 6 and up that features a "realistic, vibrating tattoo pen" and instructs youngsters to "get ready to 'get inked.'"Amazingly the people who

Customers who bought the Peekaboo Pole Dancing Kit also purchased this item.

Peekaboo pole-dancing kit.

"Unleash the sex kitten inside" is the message to youngsters with the Peekaboo pole-dancing kit." It contains a chrome pole, a DVD with suggested dance moves, and a 'sexy dance garter' - all formerly in the toys and games section of the Tesco website. 8.5 foot chrome pole with play money for stuffing into a garter. Parent groups agreed to remove the Items from the toy shelves. This is so distasteful, They are recruiting so soon.

What were they thinking?
Ms Ray

Sports: NBA All Star Weekend is for "Hip Hop Hoodlums"

According to a recent article at AOL Sports, the NBA All-Star Weekend was a complete flop and very dangerous. The author of this article seems to have a lot of anger in his heart!

The game is a sloppy, boring, half-hearted mess. The dunk contest is contrived and pointless. The celebrity contest is unintended comedy. And, worst of all, All-Star Weekend revelers have transformed the league's midseason exhibition into the new millennium Freaknik, an out-of-control street party that features gunplay, violence, non-stop weed smoke and general mayhem...

David Stern seriously needs to consider moving the event out of the country for the next couple of years in hopes that young, hip-hop hoodlums would find another event to terrorize. Taking the game to Canada won't do it. The game needs to be moved overseas, someplace where the Bloods and Crips and hookers and hoes can't get to it without a passport and plane ticket...

After this weekend, I'm convinced he's losing the battle. All-Star Weekend Vegas screamed that the NBA is aligned too closely with thugs. Stern is going to have to take drastic measures to break that perception/reality. All-Star Weekend can no longer remain the Woodstock for parolees, wannabe rap artists and baby's mamas on tax-refund vacations. full story

OK!? So there were a few bad apples in the whole bunch! It was pretty hectic out there but, did he have to say "baby's mama's?" There are actually some "baby's mama's" in the world doing respectable things. All Star weekend would be pretty classy overseas though...tell me what u think?

Groove Truffle Collection

Groove Truffle Collection
12 Musical Genres + 12 Chocolate Truffles + 1CD



Groove Collection
If you love Chocolate and the essence of great music, try one of our favorite chocolate brands, Vosges. If you are feeling a little guilty about all of that chocolate don't worry, the proceeds go to restoring music education in our public schools and the CD is a must-have for your collection.

















Experience the latest sensory journey in chocolate. The Groove Collection is a study of the African-American influence on America's musical history through chocolate, story and song.

Each box includes:
- A booklet tracing the historical significance of 12 musical eras
- 12 chocolate truffles, each incorporating popular ingredients of the era:
- CD featuring 12 songs from African American artists that influenced America's musical roots

10% of profits from sales of the Groove Collection goes to Little Kids Rock, which helps restore music education in our public schools. http://www.littlekidsrock.org/

If you want more information about Groove Truffle Collection
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/product/groove_truffle_collection/groove_truffle_collection/

I hope you enjoy it, let me know how you feel.
Ms Ray

Randomness fo' that @$$: The Crack Files...

K-Ci & JoJo Sounding very "crackish" at the TV One Bill Bellamy's Who Got Jokes Finale
Introducing Ashy Larry & Tyrone Biggums...all I can say is please seek professional help if you ever feel the need to try drugs, PLEASE! If you haven't seen this yet, please get prepared to laugh your socks off or even cry!




While watching this, please notice the extreme weight loss and the pitchiness of the voices.

Whitney and Ray J again, doing the most...what's up with them?I'm just hoping that she has always wanted a son, that's all I'm saying!