Kimora: House of Fab: Gimme Some Skin

From www.stylenetwork.com

I just finished watching this week's Kimora: House of Fab and I'm feeling very introspective.  My mind is all over the place.  Allow me to share.  In this episode, the JustFab team was busy preparing for the launch of rocker Avril Lavingne's Abbey Dawn line of shoes with the company and planning and shooting the first commercial featuring Kimora as President and Creative Director of Just Fabulous.  Just when I thought the team was growing on me, they got on my nerves again.  I recognize that much of any reality series is scripted and planned...in some way...but, I also have a sense of when the real ish starts going down.  Of course, I have no way of knowing for sure, but let's call it a good use of deductive reasoning. 

Let me start by saying I think Just Fabulous and Kimora Lee Simmons fit together like hand and glove.  It just makes sense.  It's quite obvious that she's had a tremendous impact, already, on taking things to the next level for the brand, with fresh ideas and an insistence that the company continues to evolve and expand.  That's what she does.  That's who she is.  She's done it before.  This isn't her first time at the rodeo.  So, this is why I get a little bothered by watching anybody at Just Fabulous give her some push back when she offers her perspective on which direction she thinks things should go.  I don't mean to say that nothing she says should ever be questioned.  I absolutely don't mean that and I don't think that's what she expects from them.

But, telling a 37 year old mother of three, who has kicked down more doors than most of them will ever even have the privilege of walking up to, in an industry rife with sexism and racism, that the women who follow her won't appreciate seeing her "behind a desk" is absolutely ridiculous!  REE-DICK-YOU-LUS!  In fact, I think most of the women who follow and support her would have preferred to see her in a more professional light.  We've seen Kimora evolve over the years.  We've seen her scantily clad (after all, we were wearing similar ensembles at the time Ha!), we've seen her regal and elegant and we've seen her moving through these fashion streets as the business mogul that she is.

Kimora: The Relationship Whisperer

From www.StyleNetwork.com/HouseofFab

Last night's episode of Kimora: House of Fab was hilarious and perfect timing what with today being Valentine's Day.  I suspect that as meticulous as Kimora is, that is no coincidence. Hey, look, she even has a heart on her tee! 

The team was hard at work on a shoot for a new commercial and in the process Kimora played matchmaker for Lesley, JustFab's Director of Merchandise.  Lesley didn't seem too excited and I'm guessing that it didn't work out, but such is life and Kimora offers some great, sound advice for navigating the dating world on Style Network's website.  As I watched the episode, I reflected upon how delicate a dance it is to work a very demanding job and maintain an active social life.  It's tough, especially when you have great work ethic, but it's necessary.  It's so easy to find yourself feeling guilty about taking a vacation because, "There's so much to do" or "They're just going to mess things up while I'm away" and the list goes on and on.  But, guess what?  If you keel over and die at that job, they'll call 911 to come and scoop your carcass up, mop up the floor, spray a little Lysol and find a replacement for you within a month's time.  Seriously.

Kimora's House of Fab Debuts

I never doubted that she could do it again, but I had no idea she'd do it like this.  Wednesday night, Kimora Lee Simmons threw down the gauntlet for other reality television series with Kimora: House of Fab.  Just as she promised, the show gives viewers an inside look at the creative process at online fashion behemoth Just Fabulous where she's President and Creative Director.  It is a hit! 

Kimora prefers to call the show a docu-drama and I agree. It's less like a traditional reality tv series (no beatdowns, no screaming matches between drunken, far too old to be behaving that way women, no idle chatter about dumb sh*t, etc.) and more like a short-form documentary in series form.  I love home designer Jeff Lewis's Flipping Out series and Kimora: House of Fab has that same organic, fresh feel.  When I watch Jeff's show, as much as I'm entertained, it's amazingly interesting to see how he puts his genius to work.  Kimora: House of Fab handles its content very similarly and I'm hooked!

Kimora Lee Simmons Flips it Again!

Guess who's back?!  On Wednesday, January 23rd, Kimora Lee Simmons will take over the reality tv airwaves as she fashions a new nook for herself in that oftentimes unseemly corner of entertainment television.  Kimora: House of Fab promises a look at the inner workings of online fashion powerhouse JustFab.com where Kimora is President and Creative Director.  Kimora says this about the new show:

“This is an office environment with more of an ensemble. It is more like The Office or Ugly Betty. It is a team of people at all times, with lots of coming and going. It is less of my kids and my personal side.”

I'm a little perturbed that Kenzo Lee appearances will be scarce. Afterall, we haven't even had a chance to hear his little voice!  But, while I truly admire Kimora for her skills as a mother in the face of her demanding workload, it is her business acumen that is a true marvel. 

Baby Phat's Website Goes POOF!

Every time I take my eyes off these idiots, something big happens.  I logged on here last night to take a quick look around when I noticed that there were a few comments awaiting moderation.  One of them blew me away!  It said that the Baby Phat website was gone. Poof!  Exists no more. Vanished into thin air.  Gone.  When I read the comment, I thought, "No way. What is this?" Then, I checked, and it's true! 

This is what you see now when you go to www.babyphat.com:

Click to enlarge

"Check out our new digs."  Gosh, they have no respect for the intelligence of their customers.  Just none.  Who do they think they're fooling?  The "new digs"?  You're in the death throes, and if you think that your customers and those laughing at you from afar don't know that, you are sadly mistaken.

It seems they've worked out some kind of deal to have Macy's host their products solely on their site, but what does this mean? Has Macy's now become part owner?  I'm going to take some time to do some digging this weekend, but I think we can get our black dresses ready because this bitch is about to die. 

I told you fools that this would happen. I told you that you should have handled your thing with Kimora better than you did and we all know that you've been reading.  I have the records to show.  Maybe if you'd just apologized and given Kimora a proper send-off and not tried to treat customers like some damn dummies, even after the initial screw up, you might have been able to save yourselves this embarassment, but you didn't listen to me.  You wanted to convince yourselves that I was just some nut with a laptop.  Ohhhh, but I'm not and it seems that with each passing month, you are having to face that fact more and more, huh? Well, kiss my ass and get to typing up that press release and strategizing how you're going to announce that Baby Phat is no more.  How long now? About 6 to 9 months?

I'm glad that Kimora has moved on and that she's doing even bigger and better things because Kellwood Company is a brand killer.  You guys suck and you get exactly what you deserve. --Sugar

Kimora to Receive Prestigious Visionary Award

This makes my heart smile, because I don't see nearly enough of this.  On Monday, April 30th, Kimora Lee Simmons will be honored by East West Players, the nation's premier Asian American theatre, during its 46th annual Visionary Awards Dinner & Silent Auction.  The theme of the event is "Languages of Love" and it will pay homage to Asian Americans who have made a valuable impact on the Asian Pacific American community through their artistic excellence and support of the Asian Pacific American performing arts.

I think this is fantastic!  Do you have any idea just how much Kimora has done in her brief 36 years of life?  This is the short description on EWP's website:

Kimora Lee Simmons has been described as a “savvy businesswoman, author, philanthropist, producer, top model, television personality, Tony Award winner and — according to Forbes Magazine — is one of the top ‘hardest working mothers in Hollywood.’” (KLS.com) As a fashion and entertainment leader of Korean, Japanese and African American ancestry, she has raised the visibility of Asian Pacific Americans as trendsetters on a global scale

I think you might need to read it again and marinate in that prestige...that effort...that tenacity...that hustle.  I only just found out about the Tony Award not very long ago myself and I nearly died.  I mean, here is a woman who has made a lasting impact in so many different industries it's like she's some type of super human.  She only recently launched a new skincare line, Shinto Clinical, and just months before was named President/Creative Director of online shoe subscription service, Just Fabulous.  In case you just hatched or just crawled out from under a rock, there aren't many tuned in to the world of fashion and pop/urban culture who don't know she made nearly unbelievable strides as head of the Baby Phat and Phat Fashions brands and the list just goes on and on and on!  She is a beast!

But, here's the thing.  As I mentioned earlier in this post, despite everything I just briefly touched upon, I don't see Kimora getting nearly enough recognition for all that's she's done as a businesswoman, mother, wife and icon, especially from the African American community.  What's the deal?  Her dad is African-American and we aren't in any position to be giving anybody the stiff arm, for whatever reason, because there aren't that many of us doing it like she's doing it.  Face the facts.  Everyday on Twitter, I see this Black woman and that one opining about how great so many other Black women are -- deserved praise without a doubt, but when it comes to Kimora, many of them quickly turn a deaf ear and it's really disappointing.  I think that as a people, we have to be bigger than this.  We only have each other and we all deserve due recognition and respect for our various contributions as a part of this community.  And, I'm giving you the "side eye" 2012 NAACP Image Awards.  She should have been there and she should have been recognized considering all of the moves she's made this past year.

Enough of my gripes.  Check out the full details about the EWP award here and by all means, head over to her Twitter or her Facebook and give Kimora a shout of congratulations for the recognition.  She deserves it if anybody does.  --Sugar