Are you into Aeropostale?

Jimmy'Z Brand La Moderne Floral Graphic T $19.99

Do you love graphic tees? Perhaps not, but every young, fresh and fun chick knows how to add a lil sporty spice into their look when the occasion arises. If this is you, take a look at Jimmy'Z! There just may be a store near you...

If so, you can get 30% off in store purchases from August 14-17th, 2008!

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Thanks Jennifer!

Summer Jam and Santa Monica Pier Fest

The 24th Annual Twilight Dance Series at the Santa Monica Pier, California, seems to be giving me some kind of buzz and I'm really having a blast at this beautiful beach resort. Everything is just happening. I have been asked quite often when I will slow down and stop hanging out like a party animal. My answer: Life is too short. Just play it hard. Yes, play it hard and have fun; and that's what life is all about, like the saying goes: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Well, the Twilight Dance Series in its 24th year of Summer jams is as usual with some line ups that is quite interesting with its opening June 26, showcasing The Bonedaddys and the Crown City Rockers.

I have been paying much attention in the last couple of days to Creed Taylor's production in his Kudu years when legendary jazzy musicians in the likes of Richard Tee, Hank Crawford, Grover Washington Jr., Joe Beck, Johnny Hammond, Ralph McDonald, Bob James, Eric Gale, George Benson and the rest added gravy fusion that would change jazz forever. I'm not sure if today's jazz performers have enough talent to produce in that mood. Whatever it is, they should be given some props.

But anyway, what's more intriguing at this years Summer Jam and this famous pier is the line up and another opportunity for me to see among others, Oliver Mtukudzi who performs live on August 7 alongside Rocky Dawuni who would be opening the show that night. It's going to be a whole lot of fun as 'am already getting exhausted partying and smelling the sweet breeze of this fine ocean. Meanwhile, Mike Farris appears tonight and before it escapes my mind, my favorite record store Amoeba Music which sits in my neck of the woods are proud sponsors of this elegant event.

Adding more flavor to the festival, Toots & the Maytals who added soul seasoning to reggae music will wrap everything up on August 28. That's the one show I'm really looking forward to and I'm quite sure it's going to be a hell of a show because methink 'Reggae got Soul.'

August 14 has Juana Molina, The Midnight Shivers featuring Samantha Crain on the line up while August 21 has Gerry and the Pacemakers before the closing ceremony August 28 when one of my childhood favorites Toots stomps with the showdown. I'm just having a blast and it's all good.

Editorials (Nigeria) Thursday, July 31, 2008

Nigeria’s Last Teachers

THE teachers’ strike is not a national emergency. The best the Federal Government has done, after leading the teachers into believing it was to issue a circular for their new pay scales, was to claim it never had such powers. [VANGUARD]

Killing the tyre industry

Dunlop was until the announcement, the only remaining tyre manufacturing company in the country that was producing. The rest of them have closed shop, on account of several reasons including inclement business environment, mostly the energy crisis, policy summersaults and product dumping from other economies, where production infrastructure are taken for granted. [DAILY CHAMPION]

The attack on Abia State governor's convoy

LAST week, the convoy of Theodore Orji, Governor of Abia State was attacked by suspected hoodlums on the Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway. The attack took place at 7.45a.m. in a village, Ngwanyiekwe in Abia State. [GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS]

The lingering power emergency

Hopes for a quick resolution of the power crisis via a declaration of an emergency in the sector have again been dashed following an announcement of the postponement of that initiative. [DAILY SUN]

News Desk (Nigeria) Thursday, July 31, 2008

One survivor, five corpses recovered

THE House of Representatives, yesterday, summoned the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Dr. Aliyu Modibbo, over Monday’s collapsed building in Abuja, with the minister himself constituting a committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident. MORE>>>

Police recover N359m, $50,000, £2,000 from robbers in Rivers

THE Police in Rivers State, Tuesday night, recovered N359 million, £2,000 and $50,000 from a gang of robbers who had earlier in the day robbed a bullion van in neighbouring Imo State. Also recovered from the gang were assorted weapons. MORE>>>

Senators, others want fresh pact, referendum over Bakassi

NATIONAL Assembly members from Cross River State where Bakassi local council is located are angry over the killing of Nigerian civilians by Camerounian troops (gendarmes) and the political intrigues preceding the handover of the oil-rich enclave... MORE>>>

PDP To Conduct Fresh Congress In Anambra

Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) 14-member congress committee made up of its Chairmen and Secretaries from Southeast zone arrived in Awka on Tuesday to conduct a fresh congress for Anambra State PDP within 30 days. MORE>>>

Niger-Delta crisis: Atiku holds the ace, says Yahaya Kwande

For a permanent solution to the intractable crisis in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government should seek some urgent counsel from former vice president Atiku Abubakar, so says Nigeria’s former ambassador to Switzerland, Yahaya Kwande. MORE>>>

Soldier, militants killed in another attack

Rival militant factions in Niger Delta have clashed in an apparent supremacy fight, leading to the death of a soldier and three militants, security officials said on Wednesday. MORE>>>

Declare state of emergency on federal roads

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Julius Ucha, while paying a courtesy call on the Governor of Edo State, Prof Oserheimen Osunbor, on Wednesday, decried the poor state of the roads and called for urgent steps to address the situation. MORE>>>

I'm officially obsessed...

July 2008

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...with LC's high waisted skirt! And clearly, she is too. It seems she has one in every color and is wearing them out and about constantly. And I for one know why! They make her look so effortlessly pulled together, even when paired with a simple vest (what the British call a wifebeater tank) and flats. Take a peek at all the ways Miss Lauren has worn her high waisted minis...

March 2008

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March 2008

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June 2008

Soooo cute and the look says total California sophisticate. Want one of your own? It's actually from the Fall 2008 Lauren Conrad Collection.

Gabrielle Skirt $165

It's only available in black at the moment, but that is definitely the most practical color for a hard silouhette like a high waist. In terms of skirts, the high waisted pencil skirt is the hardest to pull off, but even a curvy girl can try out a high waisted mini with a lil poof like the Gabrielle. Just remember to be honest with yourself in the mirror! Are there any lumps, bumps and crannies in sight? If so, back away from the skirt...

Melange Jersey Pocket Skirt $30

Into the look but not into the price? Try this American Apparel high waisted skirt in a jersey fabric with a sporty and flirty feel. Available in a bazillion fab colors. You'll feel like a bazillion bucks!

Source/Source/Source/Source

It's that time, ya'll!

Tilda? For real?

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The list we've all been waiting for, that's right, Vanity Fair's International Best Dressed List has landed! Please, try to contain your excitement. Despite my best efforts, I didn't make the list this year, but I still tend to agree with the chosen few. I take exception to Tilda Swinton though. Her red carpet style is utterly appalling. Anyways, here are just a few of the lucky listers. Away we go!

Women

Michelle Obama, future first lady
Ivanka Trump, heiress to the Trump fortune
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, first lady of France
Kate Middleton, Prince William's chick
Sarah Jessica Parker, screen queen
Fran Lebowitz, American author
Tilda Swinton, Oscar winning actress (that scares me)
Evelyn Lauder, cosmetics executive (daughter-in-law of Estée)

Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium

Julia Koch, socialite and housewife of NYC

Iris Apfel, 86 year old hot b*tch of NYC

Men
Daniel Craig, actor, hard body
Matt Lauer, Today show cutie
David Beckham, future baby daddy
Morley Safer, 60 Minutes geriatric
Lapo Elkann, industrialist and heir to the automaker Fiat
Bryan Lourd, Creative Artists Agency partner
Luis and Rafael Medina, hot sons of a Spanish aristocrat
Count Manfredi Della Gherardesca
Kanyeezy the Louis Vuitton don

Couples

Brangelina, hottest couple in the universe

Kelly Lynch, actor, and Mitch Glazer, screenwriter and producer

Fashion Professionals

Karl Lagerfeld, fashion designer and fierceness unlimited

Alexandra Kotur, style director of Vogue magazine
Fiona Kotur Marin, handbag designer and sister to Alexandra
Carine Roitfeld, editor in chief at French Vogue
Katherine Ross, senior vice president of communications for LVMH North America
Stacey Bendet, designer and owner of Alice & Olivia

Christy Turlington Burns, model, wife of Ed

To see the full list, check out vanityfair.com!

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Source

Style Inspiration: Edie Sedgwick

Superstar, they called her. Edie Sedgwick made a name for herself as the muse of noted pop artist and indie filmmaker, Andy Warhol, in the early to mid-sixties.

Once the daughter of a wealthy California man, she left Cambridge University to model in New York City and fell into the arms of Warhol, appearing in a number of his films.

Coming from a long line of mental illness, addiction and suicide, Edie tried to hide from the world by coating her eyes in thick kohl eyeliner and wearing false eyelashes. Teens and twenty-somethings of the era coveted her mod look and short cut.

This 60's It Girl was known for wearing nothing more than a leotard, opaque tights and a large sweater or men's shirt (she was a big fan of jazz ballet). She often wore long chandelier earrings dangling with jewels. And almost as if she forgot every morning, she began wearing only one, as seen in the collective footage of her in Ciao Manhattan!

Effortlessly, Edie turned her style into a trend and a name for herself that rings to this day. Although a tragic figure (she ultimately overdosed), to many she symbolizes what it means to be forever young, beautiful and carefree. Edie was a style icon in her day, but that doesn't mean you can't copy her look today. Here are some ways to get the Edie Superstar look:

Kohl Eyeliner

Drench your eyelids and then put an Edie beauty mark on your cheek!
Faux Eyelashes

Oh so glam. The plusher the better!

Chandelier Earrings

Dare to wear just one for a look that makes people look twice!

Abaete Mod Mini

A boxy minidress is the quintessential 60's Superstar look.

Black Zippered Leotard

Pair with a black mini skirt, tights and flats to channel Edie.

Opaque Tights (in 20 different colors!)

Wear with any and everything!

Long Cardigan Sweater

Cover up with an oversized boyfriend sweater or tailored shirt.

Intrigued? Pick up Factory Girl today!

-Nastasia

Editorials (Nigeria) Friday, July 25, 2008

CBN, wonder banks and the law

AT the behest of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) earlier this month gave judgment shutting down some 30 companies which were found to have been operating illegally as fund managers. [GUARDIAN NEWSPAPERS]

Nigerians abroad and investments

One of the dire consequences of the economic down-turn in the country since the introduction of the structural adjustment programme (SAP) in the 1980s has been the mass emigration of Nigerians with any skills at all to other lands in search of greener pastures. [DAILY CHAMPION]

Deaths At Immigration Recruitment Exercise

Just how desperate the unemployment situation in Nigeria has become was evident a fortnight ago as thousands of citizens, flaunting degree, Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE)and diploma certificates, besieged recruitment centres of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)in different parts of the country, only to face death and hospitalisation in emergency wards. [DAILY INDEPENDENT]

Tackling Niger Delta unrest

To tackle the violence in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government should take the following steps: Initiate a credible, sustained dialogue on control of resources with Niger Delta civil society groups, including militants, activist leaders, religious leaders, women and youth drawn from nominees submitted by councils of ethnic groups in the Niger Delta states. [THE PUNCH]

Vanessa Paradis for Miu Miu

I'm convinced that French women do everything better. This includes snagging a hot, rich playboy (aka Johnny Depp), taming him and having a bunch of his babies. Gotta love Madame Vanessa for that. And these pics! They had me at Miu Miu. And they smartly kept her teeth (yeah, it's a problem) out of sight (for the most part). Enjoy!

P.S. These glasses almost make me want to change my contact-wearing ways for good! I'm so over my contacts. Thank goodness for Lenshopper.com, a comparison site for contacts which makes my life a little easier. That is until I get LASIK.

Source

Living and hustling in Nigeria

The above pictures were captured by Idowu Ogunleye of The News Magazine. What a life!