Source: Travis Ellison / Travis Ellison Zendaya Hosts AT&T’s “Dream In Black” Brunch At Essence Fest Source: Travis Ellison / Travis Ellison During Zendaya’s first time attending Essence Festival, she hosted the “Dream In Black” brunch which brought together entertainers, influencers, and AT&T executives for a lively conversation about the “Dream in Black” mindset encouraging people to boldly follow their passion and share it with the world. The Euphoria star continues to slay the fashion game in a 70’s inspired patchwork Ferragamo Skirt and ribbed tube top paired with suede forest green pumps by LaSilla. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay was on hand to join Zendaya in the conversation. Are you feelin’ this get up?
Source: UMG / UMG Motown Records Celebrates 60th Anniversary With Interactive Experience At Essence Festival Motown Records brought its year-long, 60 th anniversary celebration to the ESSENCE Festival presented by Coca-Cola – the world’s largest cultural, entertainment and empowerment experience. On Saturday, July 6, the iconic label opened the doors to Motown Manor, located at New Orleans’ historic Race + Religious property along the riverfront of the Lower Garden District. The day-long experience kicked off with a VIP women’s brunch, which included a special fireside chat shining a light on the Motown legacy and its future. “Motown & Lyft Presents Leading Ladies: A conversation about finding your voice” was moderated by Nilka Thomas, Vice President of Talent and Inclusion for Lyft. Speakers included Motown’s Ethiopia Habtemariam; Valerie Jarrett, a member of the Lyft Board of Directors and former senior advisor to Barack Obama; and Amber Grimes, Senior Vice President of Capitol Music Group. Source: UMG / UMG Motown Manor opened its doors to festivalgoers and a group of HBCU students/alumni for The Motown Social in the afternoon. The History Room was filled with Motown memorabilia, images and vinyl listening stations featuring hits from throughout the label’s 60-year history. In the Beauty Room, guests were treated to makeovers. With makeup by Black Radiance and hair by Swivel, they could choose from three looks celebrating the women of Motown – The Diana, The Erykah and The City Girl. Monica Poindexter, Lyft Head of Inclusion & Diversity, moderated a playback of music from BJ the Chicago Kidand King of Brass performed live, putting a New Orleans spin on beloved Motown hits. The event also featured a DJ set by Millie, tarot card readings, henna tattoos and more. Motown Noir followed, with captivating performances by JAMESDAVIS, Ms. Nix and BJ the Chicago Kid. Guests sipped special Motown cocktails throughout the evening and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres created by New Orleans Chef Nigel Henderson’s Feast L.A. To check out more photos from the anniversary celebration, hit the flip!
Source: Hugh Dillon/WENN.com / WENN Patti LaBelle Gets A Street Named After Her In Philadelphia The city of Philadelphia is doing their part to honor one of the city’s very own musical legends–but for some reason, they didn’t even bother to double check the spelling of her name. The city’s Streets Department honored singer and icon Patti LaBelle by naming a stretch of Broad Street between Locust and Spruce streets after her. Of course, this is a huge honor–but the problem with this is that they spelled her name wrong. The “b” in her last name was not capitalized, as reported by the AP . But luckily for everyone involved, it seems like the mishap got straightened out fairly quickly. At the unveiling ceremony, LaBelle signed her signature onto a correctly spelled version of the sign. The singer spoke on the honor of having her own street in Philadelphia, saying, “I was a shy little girl from West Philly. To go from shy Patti to Patti LaBelle Way is incredible.” According to a city spokesperson, they are aware of their mistake and will install signs with the proper spelling of the legend’s name as soon as next week. Congrats to Patti LaBelle on the much-deserved honor.
Source: TPN / Getty Cori Gauff Upsets Venus Williams At Wimbledon Cori “Coco” Gauff has made QUITE an impression on her very first Grand Slam match. In an upset that will go down in history, the 15-year-old defeated Venus Williams to become the youngest person to win a Wimbledon match since Jennifer Capriati took home a W 14-year-old in 1991 according to USAToday . Source: Visionhaus / Getty[/caption Crazy. “Honestly I don’t really know how to feel,” said Gauff, who was ranked No. 313 in the world entering Monday, in a post-round interview. “This was the first time I ever cried after a match. While winning, obviously. … I never thought this would happen. I’m literally living my dream right now. And not many people get to say that. I’m just happy that Wimbledon gave me the opportunity to play.” Source: TPN / Getty Press play below and check what else she had to say in the post-match presser: Congratulations!
Source: Dave J Hogan / Getty Ciara And Her Short New ‘Do Attend The 2019 ACE Awards According to Ciara , she’s in what she likes to call, a “very free space” right now–and it shows through all aspects of her life. We can hear it on her latest project, Beauty Marks , and we see it across her Instagram page, where she shares intimate snippets of her family life along with stunning photos of her one-of-a-kind style. The latter is what earned her the Style Icon Award at this year’s 23rd Annual ACE Awards. Check out the video down below as ELLE joins Ciara ahead of the ceremony, where she talked her fashion evolution — from the swimsuit-denim pairing of “Goodies” past, to her extravagant Giambatista Valli trains of today — and what it means to level up her signature tomboy look.
Source: Dave J Hogan / Getty Ciara And Her Short New ‘Do Attend The 2019 ACE Awards According to Ciara , she’s in what she likes to call, a “very free space” right now–and it shows through all aspects of her life. We can hear it on her latest project, Beauty Marks , and we see it across her Instagram page, where she shares intimate snippets of her family life along with stunning photos of her one-of-a-kind style. The latter is what earned her the Style Icon Award at this year’s 23rd Annual ACE Awards. Check out the video down below as ELLE joins Ciara ahead of the ceremony, where she talked her fashion evolution — from the swimsuit-denim pairing of “Goodies” past, to her extravagant Giambatista Valli trains of today — and what it means to level up her signature tomboy look.
Source: Itaysha Jordan for ESSENCE Magazine / Essence Ciara, Iman & Teyana Taylor Cover ESSENCE’s Summer Issue Another day, another ESSENCE slay. The magazine’s enlisted Ciara, Teyana Taylor, and Iman for a #BlackGirlMagic packed July/August issue highlighting the ladies excelling in their respective careers and day-to-day lives. Stunning Somalian supermodel Iman is highlighted for her philanthropy and mogul status. At age 63 she’s also absolutely ageless and a pioneer in the beauty world with her Iman Cosmetics. “When I came on the scene, I was catering to women of all skin colors,” Iman explains. “Regardless of what hue you are, as long as you are a woman with skin of color, whether you are Asian, Latina or African, I opened that gate. And Fenty knocked the gate out.” Source: Itaysha Jordan for ESSENCE Magazine / Essence Teyana’s also covering the issue and speaking on her beautiful baby girl Junie that’s changed her life. According to Teyana, she’s working hard to instill confidence in her daughter. “Being a mom makes you move differently, think differently and speak differently,” Taylor says. “Once I had Junie, I realized I was living for so much more.” “I’m just teaching her early: ‘You are beautiful, you are smart, you are magic,’ ” she says. Through her relationship with her husband, Taylor is also modeling the power of commitment. “Love is important,” she says. Source: Itaysha Jordan for ESSENCE Magazine / Essence As for CiCi’s amazing Afrocentric cover, she’s rocking waist-length faux locks while speaking on the power of prayer… “My faith has carried me through every challenge and triumph,” she reflects. “When I was younger and wanting things to happen when I wanted them to happen, I could never have imagined that 15 years later I’d be having the time of my life.” and ways she’s “leveling up” her life. “I’m trying to keep getting better, make health-conscious decisions and be the best mom and wife I can be,” she says. “No matter how much success you have, I believe there’s always an opportunity to grow and learn something new. And I’m keeping my sexy up too.” Source: Itaysha Jordan for ESSENCE Magazine / Essence ESSENCE’s July-Aug issue is on stands 6/21.
Khadeen Ellis & Krystal Lee Speak On Faith, Family & Life At Champagne Conversations Presented By St. Jude Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Lifestyle Influencer Khadeen Ellis and Radio One personality of the Willie Moore, Jr. Show, Krystal Lee teamed up with St. Jude to host Champagne Conversations during the Summit 21 weekend. The intimate mixer featured candid and transparent conversations around faith, family and wellness. Krystal Lee Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Visual Artist and Fashion Designer, Kris Keys showcased original art and design pieces from her newly launched ‘Hematology Collection’. Inspired by her relentless fight with Sickle Cell, Keys’ who is also a former St. Jude patient, shared her survivor story and how she transformed her experience living with a blood disorder into a literal work of art. Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Attendees enjoyed an evening of mingling, small bites, complimentary cocktails and an electric ambiance of black girl magic throughout the night. See more pics by hitting the flip!
Designer Bae Melody Ehsani Drops “Claws” Inspired Collection For Season Premiere Source: Melody Ehsani / Melody Ehsani In anticipation of season three of the hit drama series CLAWS (premiering Sunday 6/9), TNT will partner with influential fashion designer Melody Ehsani to release a limited-edition capsule collection! Inspired by the talented, women-led cast and crew of Claws, the ten-style collection references iconic scenes, moments and outfits from the show. Source: Melody Ehsani / Melody Ehsani The collection represents the show’s values of being a boss lady, women’s empowerment and celebrating with your crew and will be worn by variety of influencers and cast members ( Karreuche Tran, Niecy Nash, etc.) in the coming weeks!
Source: Aaron Davidson/Getty Images for WE tv / Getty Ana Makes Thandi An Interesting Proposition On “Hustle & Soul” If you’ve been watching “Hustle & Soul” you know that Ana and Thandi’s relationship has had it’s ups and downs, but tonight’s episode gets REALLY interesting. Watch the exclusive clip below and you’ll see what we mean. What would you do if you were Thandi? “Hustle & Soul” airs at 10 PM ET/PT on WeTV… Will you be watching?
