Me all natural and full of confidence! :)

con·fi·dence

Confidence is not the way you snap your fingers or cussing someone out because you "keep it real"!

Confidence is when you are able to know how to express yourself clearly and maturely. Why do I bring this up? Well, as long as shows like the "Basketball Wives" and "Love and Hip Hop" exist, this will be a topic that continues to come up.

A crowd of fashionable shoppers gathered around to enjoy the fashion event at Macy’s to celebrate fashion as part of the Philadelphia Collection.

Starting fashionably late, the many people anxiously awaited the arrival of Lawrence Zarian, the “Fashion Guy” that gives the best fashion round up on shows like “Regis and Kelly” and “Entertainment Tonight”.

Me with Lawrence Zarian (by the way, he loved my shirt!)

As a very entertaining and down to earth host, he introduced some of the hottest fashions that will be seen in the fashionable city of Philly, New York and abroad!

Some of the looks that fashion trenders should be looking for are camel color, dark color blocking, heather gray, lots of glitter and gold, glamour dresses, animal prints and statement accessories.

Check out the EXCLUSIVE YHC video below!!!

According to USAtoday.com, popular T.V shows like Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl along with American’s Next Top Model, will be returning for another season on the CW Network. But this will not be you normal cycle of ANTM, Tyra Banks reportedly will be doing an ‘All-Star’ Edition for the seventeenth cycle of ANTM, which will be filled with favorite and memorable models from the past seasons. The new season will debuts in the fall and many (including me) are really interested in seeing how the show goes!

There is still no news as to who will be in the ‘all-star’ cast, the judges, and prizes yet but it will be announced shortly.

What do you think of the new cycle? Will you be watching? Who would you like to see in the cast?

Look fashionable and be warm in the new trend for Fall/Winter 2011. I noticed that long coats were seen ALOT during Fashion Week in London and I decided to share with you my favorite looks! Let me know what you think!

Simple Cut and Color Works!

This model is walking for the Aquascutum Autumn/Winter 2011 collection in London Fashion Week. Notice how long and flowing the coat is. It has a very simple look yet it sets itself apart from a simple boring coat even though its grey.

Make the Coat Yours!

This model is walking for the Adolfo Dominguez Autumn/Winter 2011Collection in the Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week. Notice that once again it is a simple cut and colored coat but to bring more life to the coat there was a thin belt added and a statement brooch! Hot!

Don't Be Afraid of Wild Patterns!

The Fashionista herself, Anna Wintour shows that their is nothing wrong with wild patterns at the Burberry Prorsum Show in London Fashion Week!

Try White!

This model is wearing a Burberry Autumn/Winter 2011 collection at London Fashion Week. White is going to be very popular for the  2011 Fall/Winter season. I am not to sure if I will be rocking white, but if you feel like it works for you go for it! And don't forget to add some color with a belt!

Title: Follow the Model

Author: J. Alexander

Price: $14.99

Paperback: 231 pages

Publisher: Gallery (October 12, 2010)

ISBN-13: 978-1439149904

Copyright 2009- www.SimonandSchuster.com 

Buy on Amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Model-Guide-Unleashing-Presence/dp/1439149909

J. Alexander seems to have all he could ever want and more. He is a fabulous runway coach and has helped many women take over the runway with fierceness! He’s had great success with 15 seasons as a judge and mentor on America’s Next Top Model, and he has recently added author to his many successes in his first released book, so cleverly titled Follow the Model.

In Follow the Model, we learn what it was like to work with Life in the Fab Lane star, Kimora Lee Simmons and how he demanded her attention. He also touches on how he was the first person that was contacted by Tyra Banks and her mother, and they pitched the idea of one of the most successful modeling shows ever!

Although he makes it look easy when he critiques the women on their style of walk and how they should present themselves on the catwalk, easy is far from the truth. He had to work hard and smart in order to live his dream and have others see his vision and accept it in fashion industry that can sometimes be very critical.

In Follow the Model, J Alexander shares with you how he became the fashion “divo” that is him. As a six-foot-four gay black man, you can best believe that he got a lot of eye-cutting and trash talking thrown his way, but being a young man from the Bronx, he knew just how to handle it: by lifting his head and raising his shoulders, and making the streets his runway, literally. Basically, he let his attitude (and maybe a few choice words) do all the talking, and that is what made him in demand.

J Alexander shares one of his most memorable moments of being discovered when he was strutting down the street of Madison Avenue and a manager at Giorgio Armani stopped him and told him to immediately head to Bergdorf department store and try out for a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show. Needless to say, he made it. And that was just the beginning.

J. Alexander does a great job at introducing himself as the man that a role model that has a wealth of information to share with young women that are venturing into the fashion industry. The self-proclaimed nerd with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things fashion shares a wealth of information and experience that he has gathered over the years, it is no surprise that he has enough wisdom to share with people who are aspiring to enter into the world of fashion. Some of my favorite fashion wisdoms that he had to offer are:

• Listen to your mother- “You may think that your mother is an overbearing hassle when she calls you five times a day to check up on you, but trust me, her ulterior motive is to help mold you into a better person.”
• Stay in school- “You never know when the random things that you are taught are going to apply to your own situation.”
• Take every opportunity- “If anyone offers you a job at something that you never thought that you would be good at, try it out anyway. That person obviously sees a quality in you that you’ve somehow missed in yourself.”

He also gave models really great tips like how they should not try to create a signature walk, some of the best models that have ever graced the catwalk, how to stand out in the crowd and what it means to be a the most important model of all—a role model. Yes, J. Alexander thinks that every person should give back to their community and do their best to help others. True beauty comes from your actions, your attitude towards others and your morality.

This book is definitely recommended for those that are looking for a little inspiration and motivation to make it happen. Everyone needs a little pick me up and who better to kick you in the caboose than J. Alexander.