
Issa Wrap! NYFW Has Ended & Here's Who Stole All Of Our Edges

Just when you think New York Fashion Week couldn't possible top itself, a new year comes along to snatch our edges, throw our wigs, and make us secretly live out all of our fashion lives. It doesn't mater if you live in Manhattan, or the depths of Mississippi, NYFW is the time when everyone and everything is high-fashion, and the next hot moment is not too far away. It's actually one of my favorite times of the year, mostly because all those stupid rules are thrown out the window, and the only trend is creating your own rules. Blink too fast and you'll miss the latest and hottest purses, or the most popular colors of the season, or even trends that begin right where they stand.
Most importantly, the week always ends with the highly-anticipated Met Gala, which will be streamed live for the first time ever (and hosted by Keke Palmer and Ilana Glazer), and an after-party hosted by the one and only Bad Gyal, Rihanna.
But because we know you ladies love fashion like we do, we thought it would only be right to serve you up a recap of who (or what) stole our edges while strutting down 5th Avenue.
So, without further adieu...
Junie Shumpert
Teyana Taylor recently expressed on her E! Show with husbae Iman Shumpert, that she encourages her daughter Junie (5) to have a presence on social media, and her business ventures are no different as our mini sis shut NYFW down in the best way possible. Taylor had a Pretty Little Thing collection hit the runway, and she invited her firstborn along for the ride, which sis understood everything about the assignment.
Rocking all red, and a cap that only queens understood, she left no crumbs behind as she ate the entire row of the left side of the cookie package. Taylor loved it, naturally, telling ESSENCE that she is inspired by her, and daughter Rue, at all times.
"They are the greatest form of genuine love. They're my biggest fans. I was always a strong person, but having my babies has made me unstoppable. I get my fearlessness from them."
Yara Shahidi
Our girl Yara Shahidi somehow transitioned into literal art during the NYFW festivities, as she attended The Exhibition Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams while wearing a Dior Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2022 black mohair houndstooth sweater, a flannel skirt with a high waistline, and Dior heeled sandals. She uploaded an absolutely stunning photo of her in the dress captioned,
"Don't touch the art."
We won't touch, but we will certainly admire.
LaQuan Smith
LaQuan Smith has secretly been owning New York fashion for quite sometime, so a little week of showing off what he's working with is nothing. In fact, he topped all of our lives, by presenting his newest pieces at the top of the Empire State Building. Yes, the Empire State Building. He became the first designer to ever host a fashion show at the monument, telling the AP:
"I felt like, if we're going to come back to live shows, where's the best place to do it? It really felt like this was the best place to do it," he says. "This is a time when people need to feel fabulous again. This is a time when we need to continue to find reasons to celebrate, after coming out of such a shitty year."
Additionally, he brought out the star power with starlets such as Ciara, La La Anthony, Winnie Harlow, and Lori Harvey serving up all the goals in the front row.
Gender-Bending fashion
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
Gender-bending has been a hot topic of discussion for much of the past few years, and Russell Westbrook and Kid Cudi decided to up the ante by rocking skirts--erm...kilts--to the festivities. But, the people wanted to know if we all missed the memo because in addition to the fashion risk, they each rocked blue hair to match.
Westbrook showed up to the Thom Brown Spring 2022 show wearing an ankle-length white kilt, off-white cardigan with front pockets and a diamond choker, and Kid Cudi, a floor-length black skirt under a long sleeve Nirvana shirt. Neither men are strangers to taking chances in fashion, but we're here for the bold moves.
Telfar's announcement of...a TV channel?
https://TELFAR.TV— TELFAR (@TELFAR) 1631465644
Telfar has been a game-changer in Black-owned accessories since we all discovered that we have a better chance of winning the powerball than getting a Telfar bag that we didn't prep for. So, when Beyonce was photographed rocking her bag, we collectively sobbed through tears of joy. The brand went on record of saying that although they appreciated the plug, they would never raise their prices and would continue with business as usual.
But now those business moves includes something that none of us saw coming: a TV channel. During a press conference held on the final day of New York Fashion Week, owner/creator Telfar Clemens announced the launch of his label's own television channel, Telfar TV.
The channel will have brand-exclusive content, and viewers will be able to scan QR codes to purchase products, ensuring that anyone who orders the label's famously sold-out bags will get one, without fear of bots purchasing bulk inventory.
It's the innovation for me!
The Gworls
So, it's infamously a no-brainer that Ciara will show up to wherever her little heart desires and shut shit down. NYFW was no different, and she visited numerous shows and gave what was needed to be given. Alongside her adventures was BFF La La Anthony, who always pulls up with big supportive energy, as well as other starlets such as Kehlani, Lori Harvey, or the City Girls.
Some of these ladies happened to link at the LaQuan Smith show and show off why we all love them so. Edges were snatched in the process, but it was seeing them all enjoy each other that we loved the most.
Nicole Ari Parker + Kristin Davis
Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Dior
OK, call me sappy, but seeing And Just Like That... co-stars take a break from filming the Sex and the City reboot to attend the Christian Dior Designer of Dreams exhibition cocktail party, was what I needed to prep myself for the show premiere. Seeing the two live out loud their show characters was exciting.
Can't wait to see Nicole crush this role!
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Featured image by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Dior
Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
Luxury Hairstylist On Viral 'Hey Boo' Texts & Professionalism In The Hair Industry
As Black women, our hair is our crowning glory - whether we paid for it or not. We take pride in how we wear and take care of our hair. As with everything, hair care and hair styling have evolved over the years. Long gone are the days of Blue Magic (although I hear it’s making a comeback).
Now, we have a plethora of creams, oils, conditioners, shampoos, and stylists to choose from. Beyond wearing our natural curls, we have a range of options, from wigs and sew-ins to tape-ins, I-tips, and K-tips. So much choice! But you know what they say about too much of a good thing...
The Black hair industry has definitely blossomed in the last decade with a wave of new stylists and salons popping up all over the place. As much as I love that for us, many of these stylists have become the subjects of viral TikTok and Instagram tirades because of their alleged questionable behavior and bizarre rules.
Excessive policies, strange fees, long wait times, poor performance, and the infamous “Hey boo” texts. Beauty is pain, they say… xoNecole got to the root of these issues with luxury hair extensionist Dee Michelle, who’s been in the hair game for 20 years and runs a seven-figure business - all while being a mom of four.
Antonio Livingston
“I started my business with my career in the hair industry [at] very, very young age when I was maybe like eight...So, over the years, I've just built a very successful seven-figure business very quickly just by offering high-end services and creating great experiences for my clients, many of whom are high-profile professionals,” she said. “I'm also a mother of four, including a set of triplets, which inspires me daily to show what's possible with my hard work and focus.”
Dee’s business has gone viral on social media because of what many call outrageous prices for her invisible K-Tip installs.
“When I developed my invisible K-tip extensions technique, I made sure that it wasn't just about the hair or the style, but about providing a high-end experience from start to finish. So, my clients just aren't paying for the extensions or just the style itself, but they're investing into my meticulous, seamless craft and premium hair sourced from the best suppliers…I've spent so many hours mastering my craft, creating this seamless method that gives my clients long-lasting natural results, and my pricing just reflects that - the value of my expertise and the exclusivity of the service.”
The K-tip specialist stands on business when it comes to catering to her clients and giving them an experience worth the cost.
“And it's just important for me to also say that my clients are high-profile individuals who value quality, their privacy, and their time. They want a service that fits into their lifestyle and their time. They want things that deliver perfection. And I deliver that every single time.”
I’m sure we’ve all seen the various TikTok rants about people’s nightmare experiences with stylists and uttered a silent “FELT!” We asked Dee her opinion on a few nightmare scenarios that beg the response, “please be so forreal."
On stylists charging extra to wash clients’ hair:
“I think they should just include it in the price, to be honest. Because I feel like when clients go to a stylist, they're expecting you to wash their hair. Personally, if I see that washing is extra, I just wouldn't go to the salon because it just shows a lack of professionalism, in my opinion, and a lack of experience.”
“I think they should just include it in the price, to be honest. Because I feel like when clients go to a stylist, they're expecting you to wash their hair. Personally, if I see that washing is extra, I just wouldn't go to the salon because it just shows a lack of professionalism, in my opinion, and a lack of experience.”
On ‘deposits’ that don’t go towards the cost of the service:
“I think that's kind of weird, too, for deposits to not be like a part of the service. I've seen people have booking fees and I just don't understand it, to be honest. I disagree with that kind of policy…By all means, people should do what works for them, but to me, it doesn't make sense. Why does somebody have to pay a fee just to book an appointment with you? I don't get it. It feels like exploitation.”
On stylists charging extra to style (straighten/curl) wigs, sew-ins etc., after installing:
“I don't get it. Clients come to us to get their hair done, to get it styled. So why is it extra for you to style it? If you're going to charge extra, just increase your price. I feel like it could be just a lack of confidence in those stylists, feeling like people won't pay a certain price for certain things, or just their lack of professionalism as well, because people are coming to us to get styled.”
On the infamous “Hey boo” text stylists send to clients when they need to cancel/reschedule:
“Professionalism in any industry, especially the beauty industry, is everything. So texting a client the, “Hey boo” is so unprofessional, and it's damaging to the client-stylist relationship. Clients book their appointments expecting a level of respect and care, especially when they're investing their time and money and a service. And I get it, emergencies happen, we're all humans. However, it should be done with a formal apology and a clear explanation.”
“Professionalism in any industry, especially the beauty industry, is everything. So texting a client the, “Hey boo” is so unprofessional, and it's damaging to the client-stylist relationship. Clients book their appointments expecting a level of respect and care, especially when they're investing their time and money and a service. And I get it, emergencies happen, we're all humans. However, it should be done with a formal apology and a clear explanation.”
We know all too well what kinds of things will keep us from ever gracing certain hairstylists’ chairs with our butts again. So, what should hairstylists do to provide a good service to their clients? What is good hairstylist etiquette?
“For one, being on time is an important rule for stylist etiquette. It's just not okay to require your clients to be on time, and you're not on time. Also, communication. Being able to communicate clearly, respectfully, and professionally, whether that's in person, via text, or on social media. Style is etiquette. Appearance matters. So just maintaining a clean, polished, and professional look. Clients respect you more whenever your appearance reflects your work. There's just so many things, but another thing I would say is active listening. So, being able to pay close attention to what your client wants and also clarifying any questions that they might have. Just to ensure that they feel heard and to minimize any misunderstandings.”
Dee also shared some red flags to look out for when considering a new stylist.
“Even me as a client, if I'm booking somebody and they have a long list of rules, I don't even book with them. That's, for one, just such a huge turn-off. Also, stylists who have inconsistent or unclear pricing, that's a red flag. People who change their rates too much without an explanation. Poor communication. So, if a stylist is responding very slow or responding unprofessionally, or giving vague answers to questions, that can make clients question whether or not they are respecting their time and their needs.
Another red flag - an inconsistent or low quality portfolio. And I feel like, I see this a lot with stylists stealing other people's work, and their portfolio on social media is just very inconsistent.”
We couldn’t let Dee go without getting the tea on what styles she predicts will trend in 2025.
“I feel like people are going back to natural-looking styles. So, a lot of people are ditching the wigs, the lace fronts, things like that. People are still wearing them, of course, but it is becoming more of a trend to embrace your natural hair and something that's not looking too fake. That’s one thing that we're going to be seeing a lot. I would say a lot of layers are coming back, heavy layers. Those are becoming really, really trendy. And people are leaning more towards platinum-colored hair. I've been seeing lots of like blondes coming out. Also, jet black is always going to be a trend. But I would say more like natural colors, but natural colors that are still making a statement.”
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Feature image by Antonio Livingston.
With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, different shades of pinks and reds are heavy in rotation. And even though red lipstick is a bold statement no matter the time of year, this season in particular places a special emphasis on the timeless beauty staple. What says confidence and allure more than a red lip?
Vying for a place as your go-to red lipstick shade is The Lip Bar's latest release, "Good Karma," a warm rust-brown red lippie formulated with melanin-rich skin in mind. Finding the right red lipstick can be a game-changer when you're looking to make a statement, find your signature, or turn heads. And the beauty of dark skin means that the versatility of reds we can rock is limitless.
From rust-red or brick shades for warm undertones to intense reds, berry reds, or deep wine and true reds, melanin-rich skin has a richness to it that translates to a range of reds popping beautifully against our various skin tones. If you've been on the hunt for your one true pairing when it comes to the ultimate red lipstick shade, look no further than our list of Black-owned beauty brands.
The Best Red Lipsticks for Deep Skin Tones
"Good Karma" x The Lip Bar
"Good Karma"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: Following in the footsteps of The Lip Bar's "Bawse Lady," aka their #1 red matte lippie, "Good Karma" is a warm rust-brown red liquid matte that applies like a gloss and has all-day staying power.
"Elson 2" x Pat McGrath Labs
"Elson 2"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: Nicknamed "The Perfect Red," Pat McGrath Labs' "Elson 2" is a beauty lover staple and stays sold out. With its luxurious, highly pigmented formula and velvety smooth finish, this red lipstick delivers on its promise of pure color and then some.
"Sade" x UOMA Beauty
"Sade"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: UOMA Beauty knew what they were doing with their line of "Badass Icon Matte Lipstick" inspired by badass icons across generations. Talk about timeless elegance, "Sade" is a deep, balanced red that goes on as smoothly and wears as divinely as its namesake.
"Fierce" x Juvia's Place
"Fierce"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: "Fierce" is a standout in Juvia's Place's carefully curated Reds and Berries Velvety Matte Lipstick collection. The shades prove the beauty brand has the range when it comes to shades that have deep skin tones in mind and "Fierce"'s burgundy-red pigmentation is no exception.
"Blood Orange" x Mented Cosmetics
"Blood Orange"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: As a part of Mented Cosmetics' Sangria collection, the vibrant red-orange "Blood Orange" shade is a standout amongst the liquid matte lippies, offering a perfect pop of color that's not too soft and not too bold.
"Uncensored" x Fenty Beauty
"Uncensored"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: The Stunna Lip Paint in "Uncensored" by Fenty Beauty is a universally flattering true red that stuns on all skin tones, no matter the undertone. Bold, long-lasting, and kissably smooth, "Uncensored" is that red lipstick.
"Uno Love" x GloGirlCosmetics
"Uno Love"
Finish: Satin
Why It's a Winner: "Uno Love" is a fiery red lipstick shade with coral undertones that dares those who wear it to "live out loud." Enriched with vitamin E, the formula packs the pigment while ensuring your pout stays deeply nourished.
"Dare" x Wyn Beauty
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: A ruby-red shade that is as hydrating as it is long-lasting, Wyn Beauty's "Dare" is a shade designed to keep your lips feeling soft while making an unapologetically bold statement.
"Rich AF" x LYS Beauty
"Rich AF"
Finish: Matte
Why It's a Winner: "Rich AF" is LYS Beauty's take on a classic red. This highly pigmented formula delivers bold color with one swipe while keeping lips nourished and soft for all-day wear.
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Featured image by courtesy