In Memory of Eunice Johnson

Eunice Johnson the widow of John H. Johnson, the founder of Ebony Magazine, died Sunday at the age of 93.

For those of you who may not know who Eunice Johnson is let me fill you in. Eunice and her husband created a fashion magazine dedicated to the African-American culture. She was also the director and producer of the Ebony Fashion Fair since 1961, which is the traveling fashion show that raises money for charity and is staged in nearly 200 cities each year.

She is also the creator of the make-up and skin care line called Fashion Fair Cosmetics. It is sold in most high end department stores around the world.

Eunice played a significant role in the fashion industry, she made a long lasting impression by showcasing the best in style on African-American models of various shapes, sizes and skin tones.

Even though she has passed we can be sure that her contributions to the world of fashion will continue to live on.

Eunice is pictured above with Fashion Designer Yves Saint Laurent.

-Erin Jones

The Pirate of Soho

I just want to take a break from fashion news and lay out a little dish. So there is this website, that shall remain untold, where really fashionable "ordinary" people are photographed in the street and posted and everyone comments on. Usually the pics are REALLY avant garde and fabulous or at least interesting but sometimes there's just an outfit that makes you think, THIS is fashion?!

Case in point, the above picture. Now, yes this outfit tells a statement. It says, "I auditioned for Pirates of the Caribbean and didn't get it and I'm crazed and obsessed". Well, maybe not the latter part but still. So yes, the outfit is very cultural. Obviously. But to have it posted on a street fashion website and have people comment on it as an "amazing and inspiring" outfit is ludicrous.

This is something that the homeless people in the streets wear when they're collecting cans for recycling. This is fashion in the sense that it is indeed clothes being worn and it tells a statement. But the statement told is not, I'm fashionable. Aside from being ill-fitted, the outfit appears to be just filthy. I'm all for posting these kinds of pics and having a "what was she thinking?" moment but to post this outfit and praise it for being "fashionable" just does not make sense. Go down to Jamaica and wander the dirt streets and you'll see everyone in the same look. Maybe that's where the photographer got the pic and just photoshopped it into the streets of NYC.

At any rate, it's important to know the difference between fashion and fashionable. Culturally inspired garments are definitely a win in most cases but when you get too cultural you may just need to be deported.