This past Sunday, February 5th, while many of you  gathered to watch the Superbowl, fashionistas and the fashion media from around the nation were anticipating the launch of Jason Wu’s limited collection at Target. Shoppers and eBay hawkers were ready in action to attack the aisles of Target at precisely 7 AM with the opening of doors to ‘Wu’s Merchandise Heaven’ or should I say, ‘Money Haven’? The goods were taken off the aisles with the greed to sell the merchandise for triple the price!

Oh, the injustices in this mean, mean, money making world! Imagine the cashier lines filled with disinterested faces, but arms loaded with merchandise that is just for them! Turn around you. Yes, you. The girl behind you needed that size and she would have looked great in Jason Wu’s dotted full sleeved chiffon blouse paired with a pencil skirt. The same girl behind you couldn’t sleep thinking and pondering over this blouse, wanting it so badly. She stood in line like you did, but unlike you she doesn’t want to make a profit off of it. She will, like others, pay $39.99 and ask nothing in return, but to look fabulous. Read my lips: RESPECT. DESIGNER. WEAR.

Rest assured, in the above described exaggeration and/or realistic portrayal (you choose), the girl in the scenario was not the real-life me. The night before, on Saturday, I came across a couple of articles online and I had just found out about the launch. I was excited to see Jason Wu’s affordable creations and his Paris-inspired designs for regular Target shoppers. The marketing for his launch is done very tastefully by Target. In a commercial for the collection, we see a black cat wreaking havoc in the most beautiful way possible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PXV7EqCcqfI

The same black cat is also incorporated in his scarf and tote bag. I am personally not a big fan of black cats (I find them freaky. Sorry, cat lovers!), but I must say, the cat is stylish for wearing the red piece accessory – I’ll give him that.

A little [Wikipedia] background on the 29 year old designer:

“Born in Taiwan, Wu moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at age nine and attended Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Loomis Chaffee, in Windsor,Connecticut. He learned how to sew by designing and sewing for dolls, and went on to study sculpture in Tokyo. Wu continued this career path at sixteen by learning to create freelance doll clothing designs for toy company Integrity Toys under the lines “Jason Wu dolls” and later “Fashion Royalty”. The following year, he was named creative director of Integrity Toys. He decided to become a fashion designer while spending his senior year of high school in Rennes before graduating from The Loomis Chaffee School in 2001, and studied at the Parsons The New School for Design at The New School. He later interned with Narciso Rodriguez.”

His career-launcher debut was made by First Lady Michelle Obama who bought four dresses from Wu wearing one of them for a segment on Barbara Walters Special shortly before the November 2008 election. She wore another, a custom-designed one-shoulder, floor-length white chiffon gown, at the inaugural ball on the night of President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Some of his runway pieces that are drop-dead-gorgeous, won’t you say?

What really fascinates me about the young designer is not only his young age and amazing accomplishments, but I am very much in awe of his story. It’s the kind of story that immigrant implants of this country are proud telling their children. As a fellow 1st generation (South) Asian American, I am always interested in knowing the Wu before his fame and before his Wu -ing (read: “wooing”) abilities in mesmerizing crowds after crowds. It’s great to see a dream come true!

As for my shopping craze; I did visit Target early in the morning on Sunday, but avoided myself getting stamped by greedy eBay ‘ers at the dawn of day. I opted for a 9:30 AM very comfortable, very chill trip to Target to observe, analyze and conclude my taste for Jason Wu.

Not bad. Not bad at all. However, the chiffon dotted blouse that I was eyeing  was not on the racks and given Target’s limited stock, in store and online, I was a little disappointed. 

Some of his pieces made me think of what I’d wear if I was to visit rich folks for a Hampton weekend at the beach. I will conclude this post by sharing some of my in-store snaps of that glorious day in Target.

Here I am posing with a $39.99 Jason Wu for Target tote bag. I really like the style with the horizontal stripes and the material was of good quality. Light wear but practical. Very nice!

 You can see more of Naila’s fashion posts on her blog.

When it comes to my wardrobe, I have come a long way. After I turned 25, I knew I had to do something about my closet full of trendy items. So I dedicated one of my Saturdays about few years ago to edit my closet. Yes, it took me an entire day to accomplish my goal but I am glad I did it. To me, getting rid of trendy items from my closet wasn’t about getting rid of my fashion taste, it just meant incorporating more classic items and having fun mixing and matching pieces. As I look back after three years, my wardrobe now looks cleaner, cuter and better than it has ever been.

Start With Classic Pieces

When it comes to fashion, classic items are always in! A nice structured blazer can take you from your office to an evening work party. So invest in pieces that are timeless and classy. A nice black blazer and a classy trench are definitely great fashion staples and must-have items for every woman working in a professional environment.

Choose Neutrals

Bright colors are great but neutrals like black, brown, white, tan navy, gray and cream are practical choices if you are a career woman. One can always pair neutrals with brights by adding a colorful necklace or a bright bag. One can build an outfit around neutrals and they add character to your overall outfit.

Think Basics

A great wardrobe consists of basics. These are items that you wear on a day to day basis, and can be easily layered with other pieces in your wardrobe. Basics consist of a great pair of black pants, a white button up shirt, black pumps, a little black dress, a nice polished blazer, couple of cardigans in various colors, a little black dress, a fitted pencil skirt, a nice statement purse and some elegant pieces of jewelry. Incorporating basics play a huge role in building a functional wardrobe, therefore next time when you are ready to update your wardrobe- think basics!

Avoid Flashy and Trendy Pieces

I have always loved trends and I still do. However, I do think twice about buying trendy pieces a lot. Trends are fun, but putting too much of emphasis on trendy items all the time is costly and might not be the most practical solution to building a wardrobe. When I go out, I don’t mind mixing one or two trendy pieces because it definitely adds a personality to your outfit but I try to keep it understated. You definitely don’t want to wear the same thing that your daughter is wearing.

Does It Fit Me?

This is a great question that you should ask yourself when buying clothes. A lot of times, we buy things because we want to buy it and it makes us feel good about ourselves. However, we forget to ask questions like: Does it look right? Does it fit me? Understand your body well and see what works for you and what doesn’t. If you know a good seamstress or a tailor, take your garments to him/her. It’s worth spending a little extra on alteration, if you know you will wear the item for a long time. Dragging your pants to the floor is definitely not flattering!

Seek Inspiration

I always tell my friends that “as humans, we might not know everything but we can definitely learn.” I stick to this mantra even when it comes to fashion because it works. I have definitely evolved over the years when it comes to my fashion choices. I get inspired by reading fashion magazines, fashion blogs and sometimes just observing fashion on the street. It’s never too late to learn!

Images: Express trench coat; Ann Taylor blazer; Old Navy cardigans; J Crew pencil skirt; Forever 21 sequin dress

by Simerjeet Sahota

I vaguely remember back in June or July, buying a pretty sweet lace overlay shirt.  I heart that shirt so dearly to this day.  And so I ventured forward in this lace business and bought a skirt (albeit the $10 price tag helped) with a lace overlay.  Great.  And then, because I so often get carried away with these minor trends, I bought a panel tank top with, you guessed it, lace.  Now imagine my surprise, when, what I just dubbed a “minor trend”, is so full blown, I’m actually a little sick to my stomach.   It’s everywhere, EVERYWHERE.  And on everything.  Jackets and hoodies….headbands…even socks! (Oh the humanity).  And while sometimes its tastefully done, other times you run the risk of looking like a doily (which, thanks spell check, cause I had no idea how to spell that).  I’m gonna give you some options here (and by no means am I implying that this is the right way to wear lace…I’m actually stating it.  Assertively.  As a fact), hopefully giving some insight to the lace trend.  And if not at least you can just cover up my stupid faces and look at some clothes.

My “Yes I just finished supervising migrant workers in Cuba” outfit:

Lace Tank: Forever 21, Something less then $20.  Refer to this.

Pants/Belt: H&M, $35 (Don’t worry if you can’t see the detail/entire pant.  I will be doing a whole post on them. I. Love. Them. So. Much.)

Hat: Wilson Leather Outlet, $20 (but I think it was on sale for like 20% of.  You do the math, nerd)

My “attempting three trends at once” outfit (I’m trying to colorblock.  And do different fabrics [those shorts are brocade. wow parenthetical within parenthetical.  Can you get any more confusing].  I think it turned out pretty cool).

Also my “Supa dupa trendy outfit that I’ll be so ashamed of in 6 months” outfit.

Tank: Forever, $12.00

Shorts: Banana Republic, $30

Purse: H&M, $10ish

Shoes: Guess, $60

And how cool is my pose? Thanks yoga, thanks.

My “lace is so ladylike” outfit.   And my “mixing patterns” outfit.  Okay and also my “holy hell I love stripes” outfit.

Cardigan: Gift (it’s an Express men’s cardigan)

Sweater: Kohl’s, $15

Belt: From my H&M pants, above

Skirt: Kohl’s, $10

My “hope you got your Target collabo dress cause here’s mine” outfit:

This dress is lace print – its not real lace, the fabric has a lace print on it. Aw yeah.

Dress: Rodarte for Target, $40

Lace tights: Rue 21, $15 (came in a pack of two)

Purse: vintage

So what have we learned exactly about lace? It kinda goes with anything.  And it kinda comes in all different styles from lace print to tights.  I guess my life lesson to you is: go for it.  Lace is da bomb.  Just make sure it’s not super itchy.  That. Is. The. Worst.  So look for quality lace. Or at least one that has lining.

You can read more of Simerjeet’s fashion posts on her blog at ohfash.onsugar.com.

by Simerjeet Sahota

Just a desire to wear a button down every day for a week. Yeah. My life IS extremely sad. Enjoy. And no worries – I’ll post something important, i.e. not a total waste of time – at some point. Maybe.

Clothing info:

Monday. Button down: Don’t know. Had it since high school mock trial. Jeans: ten freaking dollars, included the belt, T.J. Maxx. Shoes: Chuck Taylor’s $35.

Tuesday: Dressing for the weather. Button down(Yes. It’s NOT a jean jacket): Yeah I don’t know. Had it since HS. Sweater: Forever 21 (may be from the boys section), $18. Jeans: $10, Kohl’s. Boots: $70, Macy’s. Scarf: Target, $7. Hat thing: IDK, probably target for less than $10.

Wednesday: Layering (Button down on top of button down. Aw yeah). Blue button down: Stolen. Brother’s closet. Ask him? White button down: Had it for years. Sorry. I am not very helpful. Jeans: Had them for years but I venture to say $10. Belt: Had it for years.

Thursday: Nerdy. Button down: See above button down explanations. I’m a jerk. Jeans: purchased in Mexico, $30 ish. Oxfords: $30?, Kohl’s (I did a previous post on them. Go check it out). Suspenders: Claire’s, $8.

Friday: Out on the town. Cardigan: Old Navy, I think $30. Red button down: $25, Target. Sequin Tank: $10 maybe, Kohl’s. Shorts: Forever 21, $15…or $20…I need to start writing this stuff down. Shoes: Charlotte Russe, $25.

Saturday: Casual night. Dress: Tucker Max for Target, $30. Button Down: Kohl’s, like $20. Socks: Pack of 3, Nordstrom, $15. Boots: $70, Macy’s. Purse: $30, Mark (Avon).

Sunday: You’re lucky I’m making an effort. Button down: Yeah. Again I don’t know. Go figure. Sweater: Kohl’s, $15ish. Boyfriend jeans: American Eagle, $25. I’ve learned two things. 1. I love button downs so much I’ve had them for years. YEARS! What is wrong with me. 2. I really need to clean my room.

You can read more of Simerjeet’s fashion commentary on her blog: http://ohfash.onsugar.com/.

Nothing really exciting going on.  Just some mentions:

1.  Target is re-introducing a few of their designer collabos in the form of dresses on March 15. Mark your calendar (I marked several)

2.  I’m so glad that award season is over tonight.  It’s been so disappointing.

3.  I love Kohl’s, even if I sometimes spell it wrong (It just looks right either way!).  If you don’t know that by now then I think we’re going to need time apart.  I only mention this because this post does nothing if declare my love of Kohl’s (not even like I just did right here.  But through example.  See #4)

4. My friend got this totes awesome camera that we used to take pictures of various ways to wear a dress during the winter.  Nothing original, I know, but let’s face it, I’m a slave to technology.  And when someone has something new and shinny, what more can you do then throw some crazy things on from your closet and pose awkwardly?  So, you know, enjoy.

ha. my face.

Dress as a skirt:

Dress: Target, $39 (It’s the same as the last dress in the post titled “Oh mon freaking dieu“)

Sweater: Candies for Kohl’s, um I think $30 (check this post for sure)

Socks: American Apparel, $16

Shoes: Kohl’s (on clearance), $10

Head band: Jessica Simpson, Macy’s, $10

Bag: Puma, $35

I was really just excited about being able to fit in a ball pit. Sorry if you’ve lost some of the visual on the outfit.

Dress as a top (yep. That top part is part of a dress):

Blazer: Forever 21, $20ish

Dress: Old Navy, $10

Skirt: H&M, hmmm…I like $20ish (Check this post)

Necklace: SoBo Style (Columbus, Ohio), $25 (It’s medallions of Italian saints.  Heart)

This is where things get crazy – a dress over another dress? What? Madness I tell you.  Madness.

Animal Print Dress: Kohl’s, $10

Dress underneath: H&M, $15

Shoes: Kohl’s, $17

Purse: Charolette Russe, $10 (dang. One of my cheapest outfits yet)

I forgot to mention that I got a haircut.

Dress with vest (Yeah not clever at all but I needed a fourth look – didn’t feel right with three):

Dress: Kohl’s, $30

Vest: Kohl’s, part of suit set so prob around $30

Wooden Bracelet: Old Navy $10

No, I don’t mean shop online or peruse the Home Shopping Network, I mean shop in your own closet! Or your mother’s, sister’s or even brother’s! We all know the current economic situation facing us, the headlines don’t let us forget about the increasing rate of unemployment and business closures. This all makes for very guilty shopping expeditions with many “I don’t really need this…”.  However, I have the perfect solution: shop in your closet and those of your loved ones! Summer is here and for of those who are still in school, this means lots of free time! So pick a day, a closet to “clean” and go shopping! Examine everything you find with lots of thought and how it can be used to accessorize or if it can be fixed up a little into something that you can wear. I have done this over the years and cherish all my finds. Below are some examples of my own shopping-at-home finds.

These three fun clutches are from my mom’s closet and area a good 10-20 years old! They’re genuine leather and are great way to add a bit of color to any drab outfit.

Exhibit A: Bright and Fun Clutches

Exhibit B: Silk Tunic

This was actually a qameez from my mom’s old shalwar qameez from the 80′s (can’t you tell?) But I fell in love the colors, billowy sleeves and interesting neckline. All I did was shorten it a little and I had a fun tunic on my hands! Since the print is so loud and the shirt billowy, this looks best with a solid black belt and a pair of leggings.

Exhibit C: Pretty Jewelry

This ring and bangle are my mom’s from Pakistan. I absolutely love them and feel so elegeant whenever I wear them. My favorite pastime is rummaging around my mom’s jewelry boxes because I always find something great to take! Fun jewelry pieces are a great way to look more “put together”.

Exhibit D: Peep-Toe Suede Heels

I absolutely love these shoes because they give off such a strong vintage feel! Whenever I wear these, I always feel super glamorous and like I’m in 1940′s (although the shoes aren’t this old!). A great pair of heels always makes a girl look fabulous!

Exhibit E: Kohlapuris

Ever since Slumdog Millionaire, all things Desi are hot right now! So what’s a better way to stay cool this summer than a great pair of authentic Kohlapuris from the motherland? Throw these on instead of flip-flops with your t-shirt and jeans combo and add a bit of quirkiness to your outfit!

Name: Ricky Bhatia (Satvir Singh Bhatia)
Age: 24
Location: Addison, TX

Hobbies: Music production, working out, shopping, sleeping (when I can), watching TV (old school shows like the Cosby Show and Fresh Prince, Seinfeld, etc.), and basketball
Turn Ons: ambition, intelligence
Turn Offs: people that are too afraid to take the necessary steps to achieving their goals.

BG: What inspirations do you have for your music?
Ricky: Too many.  I have touched on a large variety of genres including rock, punk rock, acoustic rock, pop rock, blues, and now my own flavor of R&B.  A large portion of my influences include Brian McKnight, Babyface, Keith Sweat, Will Downing, Dwele, R. Kelly, Ledisi, and Lalah Hathaway.

BG: How would you best describe your music?
Ricky: The music is definitely a fusion of sorts.  It’s a different take on R&B.  I try to touch on all the flavors of R&B, such as soul, gospel, chill, lounge, and club, and still have a unique sound that stands out from the rest.

BG: Have you had any cool performances?
Ricky: I once had a performance where I was an opening act for the now-famous, Ryan Cabrera.  At the time, he was my idol (When I sang acoustic pop rock).

BG: What is your proudest achievement?
Ricky: My absolute proudest achievement would have to be a tie between me losing 85 pounds in the last 3-4 years and getting my Masters degree in Computer Science from GA Tech.  Both took a lot of dedication and a lot of hard work.

BG: What are you future goals and/or career aspirations?
Ricky: I am currently working towards starting a music production company in Dallas, TX known as RB3 Productions where I will write music for singers looking for a producer.  I want to eventually leave engineering and become a full-time producer.

BG: Any gigs coming up? Where can we can check out your music?
Ricky: No gigs as of now since I’m 100% focused on production.  However, you can check out my music on myspace.I have also started a blog that is still under some construction but can be viewed at http://www.rbthreeproductions.com .

Kal Penn on the hit TV series House.

Kal Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi, has made us laugh in many movies from his humble beginnings in American Desi all the way to Harold and Kumar. He has even tackled more serious roles such as “Gogol” in the Mira Nair film The Namesake. Currently, he plays a doctor on the hit FOX show House. Things you may not know about the actor: he’s a vegetarian and taught a lecture course at the University of Pennsylvania called “Images of Asian Americans in the Media” and a seminar called “Contemporary American Teen Films.”

Manu Narayan with Jessica Alba and Mike Meyers in The Love Guru.

Manu Narayan performed under the glamorous lights of the Broadway stage for the lead role of “Akaash” in the smash Bollywood Dreams. Just this last summer he played “Rajneesh” in The Love Guru opposite Mike Myers and Jessica Alba. Take note: he can sing! Narayan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a double major in saxophone and voice. He has sung with Cyndi Lauper and even preformed for Queen Elizabeth, George W. Bush, and Tony Blair!

Maulik Pancholy for the Showtime hit Weeds.

Maulik Pancholy, graduated with a Master’s degree in Acting from the Yale University School, and went on to make multiple appearances on popular televisions shows such as The Sopranos and 30 Rock. He even voices the character “Baljeet” on the popular Disney channel cartoon Phineas and Ferb. But, you may recognize him best as James Marsden’s lovable co-worker in 27 Dresses. Keep a look out for him on the silver screen this year and a role on the Showtime hit Weeds.

Information provided by IMDb.

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