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Become a Member Monif C. , one of the hottest contemporary plus size designer literally "ripped the runway" earlier this spring on BET's Rip the Runway. Savvy Socialite.com had the fabulous chance to chat with Monif C. as she celebrates the opening of her new store in Manhattan, challenges she faced breaking into the fashion industry, and how she defines success. SS: Tell us what inspired you to create Monif C.? MC: I always tell people that my inspiration to design Monif C. came from my own desire to wear beautiful clothing. I feel like I came out the womb a size 18, so I am my customer and I know what we need. I would go into the stores that everyone shops in and say, they should design this and why don't they sell this, and then one day when I decided to switch careers, I said, why don't YOU do it! At that point I decided that if I didn't design what I liked to wear, I would have to walk around naked because I just couldn't find what I wanted in the stores. I knew that if I just designed what I loved to wear, other savvy, sophisticated women like mewould follow suit. SS: What really differentiates Monif C. from other plus sized clothing lines? MC: Monif C. is truly high fashion, designer, contemporary fashion that is usually found in trendy boutiques and it just happens to be made especially for plus size women. I always say, these are the clothes that even the skinny girls want to wear! You'd be surprised how many girls call us asking if we can special make some of our styles in size 2, 4, and 6. I am not trying to up size current styles and trends like many plus size clothing companies do. My line is designed with the same philosophies as other well known "skinny" designers, but I design them specifically for the plus size body. You won't find polyester fabrics and other throw away styles. We use premium fabrics like silks, laces, and velvets oftentimes imported from Italy and Europe . SS: When did you get your big break? MC: I actually created my own big break. I started my career path far from the fashion industry; I used to work in Corporate America and later went on to run a nonprofit program. When I was looking for a career change, I decided to embrace this urge that I have had for years to start my own clothing line, and I just went for it. The same week we launched back in September 2005, we were featured on TLC's What Not to Wear and then a month later Glamour Magazine featured our "Enid" Velvet Skirt as the best plus size holiday item. We knew we were on to something then. SS: How do you define your success? MC: I define my success by the smile I see on my face in the mornings. Honestly as cheesy as it sounds, I am so happy to be doing what I love that I know today I am successful. SS: What is was of the biggest challenges you have faced as a designer? MC: The biggest challenge I face as a plus size designer is the lack of retail outlets that sell sexy, sophisticated plus size clothing. Many tradition retail stores are still unsure about the viability of the plus size market despite reports proving that the customer is there and they want fashionable, designer contemporary clothing. Since I am my customer, I know that we are looking for this style of clothing, so I decided to open my own store to give my customer the opportunity to come get the entire Monif C. experience. SS: What entrepreneur do you admire most and why? MC: There are a lot of them, but in the fashion industry, I really admire Diane Von Furstenberg. When the wrap dress "died" so to speak, she was able to refocus and create an even larger lifestyle brand today and she is definitely an inspiration to women. SS: How excited are you to be the first plus size contemporary designer to open a store in Midtown Manhattan? MC: I am SUPER excited! Really this is a dream come true for me because I remember when I was a young girl saying, I wish somebody would design nicer clothing for me. It is personally satisfying to realize my dream and I hope to soon see Monif C.'s around the world. SS: What advice would you give to other Savvy Socialites who are is interested in the fashion industry? MC: Intern, intern, intern! A formal education from a fashion school is great, but you will never learn the ins and outs of this industry unless you intern with someone. I believe strongly in internships and I recommend seeking at a smaller design company because you'll be able to get to see the entire operation from design to PR to marketing to retail. SS: Where can we find your fabulous clothes? MC: You can order at anytime from www.monifc.com and most often we can ship the same day! For those that live in and around the New York City area or are traveling here, come shop the first Manhattan boutique for savvy plus size women. We offer the entire Monif C. line as well as accessories.
Why it's time to delve into small bottles I've been struck by something recently when walking around my local grocery store. The small bottle of wine is becoming more and more prevalent, no longer is it relegated to the low rung wines and airplane bars. Why is the small bottle important? Because it could represent a drastic but important change in the wine industry and with it a whole new group of buyers, not to mention increased sales figures for wineries. The current traditional 750ml bottle size presents several related problems; mainly because it is a lot of wine for less than 3 people to consume. As a result it becomes relatively expensive for two people or less to drink. This is increased by the fact that you're paying for wine you may not end up drinking if you don't finish the bottle quickly enough after opening (depending on your stance on how long wine truly keeps). Switching to a smaller bottle would allow for more purchases by single people and it would bring the price point of good wine down to a more approachable level, bringing me to my next point… As new people come to wine they don't necessarily have the knowledge to always make the correct decision when it comes to a wine purchase. It becomes an unfortunate circumstance when someone spends a lot of money on a wine that is a wrong choice for their personal taste preferences (see www.tastevine.com ). The small bottle allows for experimentation. Case in point, what is one of the most popular choices at a wine bar? The wine flights because people don't trust their knowledge of wine to put all their money in one basket and people like variety. Its much more interesting to purchase a flight and experiment than it is to pick one bottle and drink it all night. As an extension of that, the real advantage in wine sales with young people in America may come from the all-american six-pack model. Why aren't wines being sold in small bottle flight-packs? You'd be dealing in a medium that young people know, keeping the price points low, and allowing new wine drinkers to experiment while mitigating the risk (and price) of picking a bad bottle. Sure there'd be increased costs of production but it is my belief that the resulting increase in sales would more than make up for it, not to mention the goodwill and brand loyalty you'd gain with young people. It may not be possible for the smallest of boutique wineries but for the mid-level to major level producers it seems like benefits of attempting it will far outweigh the costs. Have you seen an increase in small bottle prevalence where you live?
DID YOU KNOW? According to a new report by Jupiter Research, "Only about 5 percent of US consumers transfer music from PCs to their phones (side-loading), and only 2 percent download songs over the air, according to Jupiter Research's "Mobile Music: Target Impulse Purchases and Purchasers for Over-the-Air Downloads" report. It is estimated that 28 million US consumers will have music capable phones by the end of 2007. With newer devices hitting the market with more and more memory capacity, i.e. the iPhone and Sprint's MUZIQ, music use on handsets is poised to continue to grow. Source: www.moconews.net PayPal On Your Phone PayPal launched their latest service offering, Mobile Checkout. With PayPal Mobile Checkout, merchants of online storefronts can offer a payment method that works on the go. To use the service, merchants will need to setup a "Checkout with Paypal" link on their mobile websites. The buyer clicks on the "Checkout with Paypal" link and is securely transferred to PayPal, where payment and shipment information is collected. The user is then sent back to the merchants website to complete the transaction. PayPal Mobile Checkout is currently available to consumers in the US, UK, and Canada. To see what is currently available for purchase, visit http://mobile.paypal.com from your mobile web browser and click on "Buy Something". BlackBerry Goes Wi-Fi It looks like a Wi-Fi BlackBerry may be entering the US market sometime later this year. Last week, RIM received FCC approval for the first BlackBerry device to include a Wi-Fi component. The handset was approved for GSM and EDGE frequencies, so it will most likely be available through AT&T or T-Mobile. RIM did not comment on when the phone would be available, but we're thinking it will be available sometime in the 4th quarter.

Where we have been and where we are going... Marc R. Peters 7/15/2007 "We are not makers of history. We are made by history." –Martin Luther King, Jr. Far too often we neglect our history and we are lesser for it. The Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta, an institution that holds the history of an American giant, suffers from inadequate funding, an avoidable tragedy. Barack Obama is advocating a $1 million Congressional earmark for the center. The King Center has been attempting for years to obtain funding for a $3 million expansion project. The addition would include more classrooms, a technology center, counselor offices, and a 1,500-square-foot teen center, according to Quad-Cities Online . These necessary additions would provide services to the community and the community's youth. As is, the King Center currently serves around 7,200 people every year through programs offered for youth, senior citizens, and others in the community. The center also hopes to allocate some of the funding for building partnerships with local youth organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club. In a speech today at the Vernon Park Church of God on Chicago's South Side, Barack Obama advocated for more programs to keep our nation's youth occupied and educated. "We have an entire generation of young men in our society who have become products of violence, and we are going to have to break the cycle," Obama said. "There are too many young men out there who have gone down the wrong path." By expanding initiatives like the King Center we can continue to "bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice". Visit the King Center homepage Article on the proposed funding Article on Obama's speech on violence
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Natural Attitudes — Taking the Plunge If you're considering going natural, I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel some falsehoods and address 50% of the Ask Afrobella questions I haven't gotten around to yet. Natural hair isn't THAT hard to care for. Sure, transitioning can be traumatic if you're not used to having hair with its own will. But if you learn how to work with it, your rewards will be great. Imagine being able to go swimming and get your hair wet without worrying about ruining your do. Imagine having fun outdoors, or working out as often as you'd like because you don't have to worry about sweating out your roots. Imagine being able to wake up, wash, style, and go without spending an hour fussing with a flat iron. Imagine fluffing your fro or pulling back your locs and looking effortlessly cute after riding in a convertible. Imagine having healthy, strong hair that's nourished and undamaged by heat, harsh treatments and processes. If you go natural, it can take a while to find the perfect product for you. I'm not even gonna lie. Not every thing works for everybody. My advice is, try as many at home hair recipes as you can. Motown Girl and Anita Grant and Nappturality are incredible resources of information. Do your research on any of the favorite product lines you hear the most about in natural hair circles, or on websites like Nappturality , or Motown Girl . Do price and ingredient comparisons on Anita Grant , Miss Jessie's , Carol's Daughter , Curls , Kinky Curly , Qhemet , and Oyin . Read product reviews. Educate yourself on ingredients and hair types. Don't go into transitioning without knowing to expect. Make sure you're good and ready and don't plan to turn back any time soon before you quit the fire cream cold turkey. Natural hair can be gorgeous on everybody, but I think many women of color don't realize or don't believe that. Wearing a big mop of free form curls, a crown of twists, or a regal mane of locs is a guaranteed attention getter, and it takes confidence. I can't tell you how many people - men and women of varied races - have given me unsolicited compliments on my natural hair. Little kids love it. Why? Because it looks healthy and distinctive and cool, and I wear it with pride. I still get the classic Trini "what's happening with your hair" attitude when I get home, but it's no thing. Those comments always come from empty vessels. Respond with a warm smile, good humor, and a laid back attitude, and they'll slink away looking like fools. My friend Melissa calls it "taking the high road." It's hard to do, but I try my best. I'd like to think that acceptance of natural hair is becoming more common. At least here in Miami, I'm noticing more and more black and Latina women wearing their hair in eye-catching au natural styles rather than using heat or chemicals to straighten their hair. Here's hoping that more and more women of color recognize that black skin is beautiful in all of its tints and tones. Natural black hair is gorgeous and good. And owning your heritage — celebrating the color of your skin, the shape of your nose, the curves of your body, the true texture of your hair — feels incredibly liberating. I couldn't recommend it more.
FAQ: What Is NeoSemantics.com?: The NeoSemantic Online Community Newspaper Cooperative bringing you nationwide reporters, journalists, websites, and entrepreneurs working together to bring you current events, investments, editorials, pop culture, entertainment, and spiritual local news June 18, 2007 Durham , NC - E | A Consultants, LLC launched its online community newspaper, The Neo-Semantic. The gateway into the community NeoSemantics.com , is accompanied by a holistic team of component websites: TheSynonym.com , TheRetronym.com , TheAntonym.com and NeoBoogie.com . TheSynonym.com profiles top event organizers and things to do (See MyATL411.net ) while TheRetronym.com gets political with an editorial review of current events; from the Obama'08 Blog & Hillary'08 Blog to this Photo Blog . A must have for every newcomer to an area, TheAntonym.com is quite handy with its list of places to worship ( DC/Maryland Admired-Churches ). NeoBoogie.com is the perfect site for entrepreneurs and music artist looking to launch their career or advertise their products and services. ( see list of Entrepreneurs or Amanda, CEO of NeoBoogie & R&B Singer for details). Take a slide show Tour of The NeoSemantic Online Newspaper Click Here http://www.neosemantics.com/tour.htm

check your travel city 411 below for details. Durham: www.MyRdu411.net | Montgomery: www.MyMonty.net | Chicago: www.MyChi411.net Oakland: www.MyOak411.net | Atlanta: www.MyAtl411.net | Nashville: wwww.MyBna411.net !! This Week !! Pink Carpet Affair - Summer Remix Chapters II and III Join us after work for Happy Hour July 19th and August 16th 6:00pm - 9:00pm for the at the The Big Easy 222 Fayetteville Street Downtown Raleigh Sponsored by the Ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Cary, NC No Cover Donations may be made to the Ivy Community Service Foundation of Cary, Inc.
Currently Wayna lives in Washington , DC . But her heritage lie's in Ethopia, East Africa . She started her music career later on in life, after experiencing many valuable things like graduating from college and working in the White House as a writer for the Clinton administration. She founded a gospel quartet and performed at the World Famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem , NY . After having her success with the group Wayna joined the critically acclaimed University of Maryland Gospel Choir , touring the East Coast. As a young child Wayna had been listening to Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, and Minnie Ripperton. Her past experiences in performing and singing gave her the confidence to leave her job at the White House and focus on her musical career. Her voice has been compared to Billy Holiday and Erkyah Badu and she is taking everyone by storm. Stop on over at NeoBoogie.com to hear more artist like Wayna. Try NeoBoogie Radio At Your Desk The NeoBoogie.com radio station feature gives listeners the opportunity to listen to their favorite unsigned artis t nonstop. Instead of clicking on each song from the artist, you get to listen to all songs from an artist while taking on a different activity. And we all know that we clean and listen to the radio, chill and listen to the radio, and whatever else you can think of and listen to the radio. You have the ongoing entertainment of everyone who has a song on NeoBoogie.com. Have a listen to a radio station and listen for the artist you most enjoy. Here are some to get you started. Enjoy! stream & listen to unsigned NeoBoogie mucsic on your computer The Best of NeoBoogie "W-DVA" Amanda's Picks Tre-Ace's Top Tracks For a complete list of who is topping the charts daily, weekly, and monthly, visit NeoBoogie.com and click on the community link and charts link. - Amanda, NeoBoogie.com CEO & R&B Singer