Closet Envy: Fashionista Shala Monroque
ESSENCE.com January, 2010
While there may be an endless supply of pretty faces decked out, with the help of stylists, in head-to-toe au courant, designer pieces making the red carpet and party rounds, to catch our eye here at ESSENCE.com, one must approach fashion with a truly individualistic approach, have savvy personal style, be adept at interpreting trends to make them her own, have an understanding of what looks good on her frame and, by all means, she must possess impeccable taste.
Finding someone like that these days can be rather difficult in a sea of style copycats, so you can imagine our giddy, school girl excitement when we discovered Shala Monroque… [Read more...]
In October, as part of the Kaleidoscope exhibit at the Ingrao gallery in New York City, Law’s eye-catching homages to the female form made their American debut. Working with high-gloss paint on aluminum, Law creates loving renditions of the body, from the indentations on the small of one model’s back to the subtle roundness of another’s belly. Fashionable props include stiletto heels, corsets, and knickers. “I find that as I draw, I fall in love with a different part of the body each time. There are endless perspectives one can take with the female form,” says Law, who is best known for her fashion illustration work and collaboration on prints and sets with the FrostFrench label from 2001 to 2003. 
Paris may be revered most often for its culinary delicacies, haute fashion and now its supermodel First Lady, but thanks to Parisian party promoters Alexandre Barouzdin and Cyril Blanc’s latest dance phenomenon, Tecktonik, the spotlight is now turning to the city’s dance floors. 
While casual, modem elegance has always been at the heart of menswear designer John Varvatos’ collections, it is rock ‘n’ roll’s eclectic style that steered him into fashion. The Michigan native, who has been designing his eponymous collection for eight years, rocked out to the tunes of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and the Who as a child, and wanted a part of that life. He may not have found a home on the amphitheater stage, but dressing the part came easy.