Drink Up!!!

Issey Miyake joins the likes of Paul Smith, Jean Paul-Gaultier and Christian LaCroix who have all designed bottles for Evian. Designer water baby!

What's His Secret?!

The soon to be Legendary Pharrell Willams covers the October issue of Rolla Coaster mag. It baffles me that this man never looks a day over 18!

Spotlight Interview: Malachi Artese

Malachi Artese Is An Up And Coming Eye Wear Designer Who Will Be Taking The Eye Wear Business By Storm. With His Shades Being Built Off Self Expression And Emotion, He is Sure To Make A Name For His Self In The Industry. Based Out Of The City Of Chicago Already Booking Five Shows, Six Photo Shoots, And Being Interviewed For Countless Number Of Blogs, He Shows That His Work Day Never Ends. His Work Has Been Seen And Worn By Kenny Santucci From MTV’s The Real World As Well As Aubrey O’Day From Danity Kane, With A Goal To Get Many Other Celebrities Framed. Divo's life was lucky to catch this busy man and ask him a few quick questions for our viewers.....

DL: How did you start designing eye wear pieces?!

MA: I have like tons of shades different brands colors and even shapes. When you shop its hard to find the shades that you are in love with and complete you. So you spend hundreds of dollars as soon as you find those special frames that you like. A friend and I were sitting in my apartment one day when stated that I should start making shades, and from that day it was history.



DL: Do you do other accessories?!

MA: I am actually working on my second collection which is entitled WONDERLAND. I want to step out side of the box and bring fashion to the lives of everyone. Basically I want everyone to imagine what they are afraid to wear and actually wear it. I will be designing shoulder pads, necklaces, and even top hats now. i want to take it to a place that I have never taken it before.



DL: I've seen some of your eye wear pieces and they are very edgy! Are you inspired by other edgy eye wear designers like Coco & Breeze and Stevie Boy?!

MA: Ive been designing for about 5 months now. I heard of Coco and Breezy about a month after me starting. Stevie Boi I heard of maybe 2.5 months after me starting. I believe we all have similar vibes but I would never say that I am inspired by them. I believe in being an individual. I try to stay away from the connection between us three and work on Malachi Artese as a designer. So the answer would be no.



DL: What kind of person would you like to see wearing your designs?!

MA: I believe my target market is everyone. I would not say that anyone in particular is my target audience. There are people whom I would like to see in my work but its not a big deal to me. I do it for the love not the fame. I would like to see people such as Dawn Richards, Teyana Taylor, and even Lady Gaga in my items. I try to remain humble and maybe it will come into play one day.



DL: Do you work with anybody else when producing your pieces?

MA:Hard to believe but I do not work with anyone, I have no assistance at all. I dont even have a team. I believe the best way to work as a designer is solo.




DL: Where do you see your brand 5-10 years down the line.?
MA: I see my self being a house hold name. I already have some huge things in the works, so hopefully things work out as I step into my second collection.

More Uggs by Jimmy Choo...

$600

Bad Angle...

Gabrourey Sidibe covers the October 2010 Anniversary issue of Elle Magazine. She is one of 6 up and coming actresses to make the cover.....Again, in that second shot, they place her in that terrible angle underneath her chin(s), making her face look like a extra large pie! I'd rather see her straight on!

Spotlight Interview: Ebony Shaw

Hey Divo Lovers. I got a chance to catch up with Ebony Shaw. A young entrepreneur who owns a hair salon and the fab Swank: A Posh Boutique(which has been mentioned in previous blog entries). She's a very cool person and I thought it would be nice to share some insight on her with my divo bloggers....

DL:How did Swank come about?
Its a really silly story.. I have a hair salon (Fulfilled Salon Eastpointe MI), and a young lady would come in my Salon selling jewelry and clothes every weekend. So, one day I pulled her to the side and asked her how much money did she make traveling to different salons on the weekends and of course her number was interesting to me. So, she gave me information I did some research and here I am with Swank A Posh Boutique as well as www.shopswankonline.com



DL:From my understanding,Swank started out in the mall. What made you start your own franchise separate from any other entities?
The mall was surprisingly slow. I was located right outside of Nordstroms and even they were one the slower stores in the mall.. So Swank knew this wasn't the right spot... We needed to be in a well known suburban area where there were frequent shoppers.. so here we are now in Southfield



Since you hand pick the clothes for the store yourself, what kind of designs do you look for?
A nice sleek look.. however I have to cater to all of my girls so I basically look for trends along with setting them.. I keep my mannequins "tight"... That's the first look that my customer sees.. that's the look that drives them in we have items from corsets to graphic tees to blazers.. Swank has something for all including different body types





DL:Explain the ultimate "Swanky" lady. What does she wear?
She wears a nice clean bandage dress with accessories that make her outfit pop... along with the baddest platform heel with of course a red bottom



DL:If given the opportunity, would you expand Swank to different states? countries even?
Yes, I would love too! However my capital MUST be at LARGE



DL:What is your vision for Swank say 5-10 years down the line?
The BEST!!!!!!!

A Divo's Life Exclusive: Coverage From The "I AM FASHION" Runway Invitational

Hey Divo lovers. I know I've been MIA for the last couple of days but school just started back up and I've been busy working on my craft. Anyway, Sunday Night I got a chance to sit front row at the "I Am Fashion" show that was held at the beautiful St. Regis Hotel. Also, I helped Ebony (owner of Swank Boutique ) style her looks for the show. Not to sound bias, but some of the designer's showcases and live performances were a bit much for me. Overall though, the venue and setup were amazingly put together. Lastly, the director of the show and CEO of Fashion Guru Agency, Irenti Fasoranti was a very nice guy too. I captured a few moments on my camera....

These are the looks I styled for Swank Boutique's showcase(Accessories
provided by Fashion Guru Agency).:



















More pics to come....