THINK: Da Scuderia a Cottage - Elle Decor Italia March

Browsing the archives of Barnes and Noble, I came across the Italian version of my favorite home decoration and interior design magazine, Elle Decor. This month's feature home design involved a natural modern cottage designed by architect David Kohn winner of the One-off House Architect of the Year in 2010. Anyone who knows me knows I love modern house design more than life itself. Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the masters of modern residential architecture, he believed that a house should be integrated into its surroundings, which many times included parts of the house being created from surrounding natural resources. This house manages to achieve that using the same wood material in the living area as well as the bedroom. Each room in the house possesses some similar furniture piece or fixture as the other rooms in the house which ties the house into one magnificent work. Take a look at the photos below.

Lady Gaga for Vogue March

There are many reasons the world has paid so much attention to the antics, the style, and the brand that is Lady Gaga. Her modus operandi of constantly breaking set within fashion and pop culture and synthesizing them into new forms and ideas is a skill she has beautifully mastered. Like most great artists, her work often evokes misunderstanding, perplexity, and fear to those who do not understand it. But I feel that the greatest thing about Lady Gaga is she does exactly as she thinks. She is one of the few people who know how to turn the dreams and ideas in her head, no mater how scandalous or surreal and turn them into realities. It is this magic that shows in her feature spread in Vogue's March Power Issue. And a subject to choose indeed. Her otherworldly creativity and desire to unite completely with popular culture can be nothing short of magical. With her single "Born This Way" released earlier this month, Gaga is beginning to unveil to the world her newest creation. Check out the photos of this little monster from the spread after the break.

Bleu Magazine's Shoot Turns The Heat Down

Bleu Magazine's newest fashion spread featured an array of attractive fall and winter fashions worn by two even more attractive male models. However, the spread was horribly undermined by its title and description as well as the underwhelming backdrops of the shoot. Although Bleu Magazine hasn't necessarily always been at the forefront for its fashion photography, it does hold its own very well among other independent fashion magazines/  "It's Getting Cold" simply just didn't do it for me. I immediately became disinterested when I read the first sentence; "Don’t forget you coat!” Now haven’t we all heard that line numerous times for our mothers" Really? This sentence does absolutely nothing to detail the fashions or open the photographic story a spread should tell.

The shoot features many pieces from H&M, including jeans, blazers, and shirts as well as sweaters from G-Star. The shots aren't terribly stylish; the lighting levels don't change in any of the photos, even when the models are in different poses that might have required more play with values. The shots show too much sky, detracting from the seasonal aspect of the spread that would have looked better with a gray sky. The models pose well and effectively show the clothes but the settings they're placed in add no value to the form and focus too much on function. Check out the full spread on Bleu Magazine's site here.

Drake Makes GQ's Men of The Year

Drake, the supernova-by-night rapper that's been making his way into the ears of the fellas and the hearts of the ladies has become GQ magazine's Breakout of The Year in its annual Men of the Year issue. The man behind supremely styled songs like "Successful", "We Like Her", "Find Your Love", and "Fancy" has been producing chart-topping hits most which weren't even included on an actual EP. But fans who know the real Drake know him from his days on the after-school special Degrassi in which he played Jimmy, a basketball player who after being shot by a student, became wheelchair bound. But in the spring of 2009, audiences began to see a newer, more creative and edgy side of Graham after he was discovered by rapper Lil' Wayne. Since, his style and swagger has gained him much attention, making his appearance on this month's GQ his second cover in 2010. Fans hope to see more from the urban upstart with the release of his album So Far Ahead. Check out more pictures of Drake from the spread after the jump.

Model Madness - Christian Ragin

Justin Bieber: Maverick or Make-Believe?

The men's fashion and culture magazine Details compiled a list of 2010's Mavericks, men who have in some way profoundly impacted style and culture. In their inclusion of 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber, I was skeptical to agree with Details inclusion of him as a "maverick". He was discovered by R&B superstar Usher who got him audition for Island Def Jam in front of L.A. Reid. They agreed to sign him and since then the "Bieber Fever" has been spreading. Now I'm not against the furthering of a 16-year-old boy's dreams of using his prepubescent voice to skyrocket himself into fame. I'm against a magazine that overall does an excellent job of recognizing admirable style and cutting-edge culture actually calling this kid a maverick. Does this mean that guys like Zac Efron, Corbin Bleu, and Soulja Boy are also mavericks?

Steph Jones Covers Bleu October

The independent R&B artist and model Steph Jones is covering Bleu Magazine’s fall cover. The voice behind the mixtape Gravity is striking a pose in his band geek-inspired photo spread. October is also Bleu’s Music and Entertainment month, and they’ve included, artists and actors such as Christian Keyes known for his roles in Tyler Perry’s stage plays, singers Cory Bold and Kelly Price’s foray into the gospel world, and the shocking return of Faith Evans to the R&B world. Bleu is also taking a look at Black cinema and what makes the favorite Black films so iconic. Bleu Magazine is known for its attention to culture and the lifestyle of the stylish urban Black gentleman and focuses on numerous Black actresses and actors, fashion personalities, music artists, and is even effective in promoting unsigned male models.

What You Can Learn From These Men

Long gone are the days when a man could only have a stylish wardrobe if he was a Wall Street tycoon. Now men have adopted a similar consciousness as their female counterparts when contemplating what they wear. Although men's fashion hasn't changed too much over the 20th century, innovation in the menswear industry is beginning to take place. For men, fashion has crawled out of the cage of function and is roaming free on the plain of form. And now Esquire Magazine is devoting an annual contest that showcases men of exceptional style and taste who are real men working as realtors to college admissions counselors. So if you're a guy who's looking to step up your swagger, then take a look at this year's finalists and what inspires their sartorial status.

"Italian men in general, I'm so intrigued and astonished with their art of dressing. It's so effortless and normal for them to continuously look stylish and elegant, with such a touch of nonchalance." - Angel Ramos, Realtor

"My grandmother is and has been the biggest influence on my style. She worked at a dry cleaner for 35 years. It was her message to me of always having your clothes cleaned and pressed. She made sure my clothes fit properly, too." -Sabir Peele, College Admissions Counselor

Model Madness - Anthony Gallo

Model Madness - Junior Carrasquillo

Links Roundup – Style Rookie Says “Suck It Seventeen Magazine” In The Smartest Way

I think it all started when I read the first line of the post, “I am writing you concerning your headline on your June/July cover, ‘THE PARTY DRUG THAT CAN MAKE YOU FAT & UGLY.’ I hope you keep these problems in mind for your future issues.” I think after reading this it just turned into one of those moments like when you’re at the mall and you see two friends fighting about who slept with whose boyfriend and you just know, “This is gonna be good”. Of course, it’s Seventeen Magazine and anyone over the age of seventeen would no doubt have a trilogy of novels to write on the grievances of the advice given to seventeen-year-olds at the erroneous hand of middle twenty-something-year-olds. But this letter was entertaining not just because of its cynical quality that I just can’t get enough of, but simply because it was just so damn smart.

Links Roundup – Abbey Lee Kershaw in Vogue China by Coûte Que Coûte

If beauty is skin deep, then ugly is to the bone. Nothing could be more aesthetically displayed than Vogue China’s spread of Abbey Lee Kershaw “Skin Deep”, styled by Nicoletta Santoro and shot by Hedi Slimane. I’ve been looking at spreads from international versions of American fashion magazines and I have to say I’ve been impressed with the talent. Granted, it is a little strange that Elle Japan covers and Vogue Hommes Japan don’t have Japanese or Chinese celebrities on their covers but they are as skilled in capturing beauty as any American issue of Vogue. I will say that the main difference between American and International issues are the nature of the photographs. American magazines use their photo spreads as a means of setting a standard for the readers, inspiring them to what levels of beauty they should aspire. International magazines use fashion photography for more artistic and experimental purposes as seen in this shoot.

July Cover Roundup

Hustler Lifetime Achievement Award - Devon Christopher

Living in a society as a young Black man and seeing the endeavors of many other Black men fail, it is refreshing and enriching to find inspiring, ambitious, motivated, and most importantly stylish Black men who are seeking to reach their potential through their talents and also diligently seeking to use those talents for a greater purpose. In Devon Christopher, current editor of Bleu magazine, I found both of these qualities which for many is an evanescent pursuit. Perhaps it was the elegant and encouraging words that Christopher used in his 2008 issue that was aptly titled "Black Boys Are Beautiful" when he spoke about the cultivation and preservation of the beauty of Black men that so many others have refused to acknowledge and appreciate that endeared me to him. "What if when, the world and mainstream media call him ugly or an animal, that his neighbors, friends and family reminded him everyday that he is beautiful? What if when he looked in the mirror and saw a smile in the reflection every time? What if old ladies didn't cross the street when they saw him approaching them?" Christopher no doubt is challenging those beliefs with his magazine that is an impressively and exceptionally well-designed upscale publication that was created as a fashion, music, lifestyle, and art magazine for sophisticated Black gay men, an audience and demographic that for so long has been completely devoid of any attention, something that Christopher understand himself being a Black gay man in America. A graduate of Seton Hall in 1999 with a degree in communications and marketing, Devon Christopher has always sought to become famous worldwide and to share his intelligence and creativity internationally. He has worked for Def Jam Records as a marketing assistant alongside some of the hottest names in hip-hop, in advertising at Universal Music Group, as a product manager for Asylum Records, and as the editor-in-chief of Bleu before changing his job to publisher of the magazine. Add restaurateur of a Harlem chicken spot named Atomic Wings as you can already see that Christopher is without hesitation a renaissance man. But Devon's greatest mission is the amelioration of the Black male condition. He is currently pitching a reality show titled "Material Boys" that centers around the lives of ambitious, self-made Black men to networks like the new Centric, Bravo, and Oxygen. If you want to see more about Christopher's magazine Bleu check out its website BleuLife here.

The Sweeter the Juice: Bleu Magazine Bleu Berry Roman

Bleu Magazine, the young but super-fashionable lifestyle mag for men of color definitely has a knack for sniffing out untapped beauty. The magazine presents an unsigned and undiscovered model each month and the men are nothing short of amazing. Beauty certainly isn't wasted on the men and they aren't wasting it either, especially this month's pick Roman from Oklahoma.Who knew such ripe fruit grew in the midwest? An army vet with a visage that would make any onlooker salute, check out more of this diamond in the rough on Bleu Magazine's website here. And if you still can't get enough of Roman, visit his website here.

Model Madness - Wendell Lissimore for Red Models NYC

Nicki Minaj Does VIBE

Everyone's familiar with the newest female rapper whose Weezy-esque rhymes, Barbie doll obsession, and take-no-prisoners attitude has made her one of the most powerful forces in contemporary rap, Nicki Minaj. And this month, she's brought her infectious--and annoying to some--aesthetic to the cover of Vibe. The Queens, New York native, born Onika Tanya Maraj, got her start in 2004 when she was singing backup and hooks for rappers in the area. She was subsequently discovered by Dirty Money Records through MySpace and after she was featured in a DVD produced by Young Money, rapper veteran Lil' Wayne sought out Minaj and collaborated with her on several mixtape tracks. Nicki Minaj released her first mixtape in 2007 named Barbie Doll a motif that she would continue to use through her career. She released another mixtape in 2008, Sucka Free which earned her a spot in XXL magazine. She also ended up taking home the award for Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. In 2009, she released another mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty which thrust her into the limelight further than any of her previous mixtapes had. Since then, she has been featured in singles with artists such as Mariah Carey, Gucci Mane, and Usher. Fans seem to love Minaj's lyrical cadence and flow, her avant-garde music videos, a trend rising in 2010, and may seem to like Minaj's sex appeal although Nicki Minaj once said that she did not want to be seen as a sex symbol yet more as an entertainer. Overall, Minaj appears to be skyrocketing through the charts with her strong female attitude blowing the covers on her male counterparts.

June 2010 Cover Roundup

Blake Lively for Vogue

Kristen Stewart for Elle

Miranda Kerr for GQ

Tasha Smith for Upscale

 Taraji P. Henson for Essence

Stacey Dash for Krave

M.I.A. for Complex