News.Gossip.Info > Fashionista Files: Ekei from Chic Simplicity
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Name/Alias: Ekei Henshaw/Chic Simplicity
Website/Blog: www.chicsimplicity.blogspot.com
Location: Boston. NY-wannabe.
Q: How do you define the word “Fashionista”?
I think the word “Fashionista” describes a super chic individual; one with an elegantly defined, yet continuously evolving sense of style, who appreciates the sensibilities of the fashion industry and goes beyond to redefine parts of it whether locally or in extensive proportions.
Q: What’s the one store online and off that represents you and why?
This would have to be a tie between Barneys NY and Bergdorf’s; Simply the uttermost decadent style emporiums, they carry everything I could possibly need!! Ever!!
Q: What celebrities do you look to for fashion inspiration?
While I do acknowledge the underlying symbiosis between aspects of the fashion industry and pop culture celebrities — a constantly alternating aegis if you will — I don’t really look to celebrities for fashion inspiration. Now you think I’m a sad prospect, I know. Haha. But, I am my own muse.
Q: Who are some of your favorite designers?
The most impossible of questions: I love Oscar de la Renta, Karl Lagerfeld (for Chanel), Armani, Peter Som, Daniella Issa Helayel, Zac Posen, Alber Elbaz, Carolina Herrera, Nicolas Ghesquière, Duro Olowu, Tomas Maier, Nicole Miller, Malcolm Harris, Giambattista Valli, Michael Herz and Graeme Fidler (for Aquascutum), Hussein Chalayan, Jean Paul Gaultier, Monique Lhuillier… I could go on and on, and I wish I could really afford most of their pieces.
Q: What’s the best piece of fashion advice you have ever received?
It’s always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed, don’t you think? (c) My Mom
(When we were younger, she’d add the “don’t you think” part to make us - her three gyrls - feel like we were making the decision for ourselves, even though the expected response was always a compliant affirmative. Now, as a discerning young woman, I take this piece of advice to heart.)
P.S. Yes, that’s how I choose to spell “gyrls”. So much sassier, don’t you think? *wink*
Q: What’s your fashion resolution for this year?
To persist and to evolve.
Be sure to check out this fashionista at www.chicsimplicity.blogspot.com
She is super smart - but is she serious??? :o\
Yes, she’s really smart. It’s good to see another black person really into high fashion.
wow! I love her!
Must Check this Chic Out ! Sounds good
OMG…Who is she? I totally love her:-)…I’M YOUR #1 FAN!!…. I’m surprised she didn’t have Gucci on her list, but again, she said she could go on and on…..You go girl, I know you can do it:-)
Wow!!! I’m very, very impressed!!!! I’ve never come across someone who writes about luxury or high fashion with such love especially someone black. You guys should make her write a guest fashion column once in a while for Clutch. Her writing style is wonderful and she seems very smart.
This was cool, but what’s so impressive sorry….she seems like she knows about fashion that most of can’t afford, but guest columnist…uhhhh. Other than that I love the feature and can’t wait to see more, especially more sisters that represents most of Clutch’s readers. Us H&M, Zara, Target and F21 women, who rock designer jeans and uses both sensible and luxe items to help keep money in our pocket and still look fly.
i think she’s AWESOME and IMPRESSIVE. more black women should have an open mind and expand their horizons. even if you can’t afford much (YET), these designers are always cool and fun to look at and you never know what Vera Wang gown may inspire you. CONGRATULATE and make strides!
I don’t shop at H&M, Zara (never heard of it), Target (except for toiletries), nor F21 (never heard of it). I’m one of your readers who really enjoyed this fashionista file. I like luxury items, but I follow the New Yorker rule: never pay full price! That’s achievable by shopping warehouse, stock, sample and liquidation sales. Anyway, I’ll be checking out the Chic Simplicity website - I look forward to it. And Clutch, please keep articles like this coming; high-end fashion may be aspirational for many, but it is reality for some of your readers.
I just visited the blog, and I loved it. It’s like a hybrid shopdiary.com / the fashion bomb blogspot. The most recent blogs included features on Kai Milla and Tracey Reese: two African American female designers; great! I’ve already added chic simplicity to my blogger feed.
I really love this fashionista files. She writes beautifully and knows what she is talking about. I, for one, am tired of trolling fashion blogs with the same old tired copy this celebrity look and buy these cheaply-made piece of clothing. Many black women including those who read Clutch are very much into high fashion and appreciate beautifully designed clothing, so I disagree strongly with urban fashionista’s comment. Yes, we do mix high and low-end fashion, I think everyone does that, but we also read vogue and buy ridiculously priced bags. This is the first time on Clutch I am seeing a fashion blogger that I really do admire and I reiterate Teina’s and Jillian’s sentiments. Great Job!
Yo, this chick right here — is a little too full of hubris. “A constantly alternating aegis . . . ” doesn’t make a damned bit of sense. I am finishing a Ph.D. program in June 2008 and am used to writers being a bit grandiose with the narratives they weave, but to ignorantly throw out not-commonly used words is juvenile at best. At worst, this practice doesn’t prove your smart; particularly when the terms are being used out of text and incoherently. I love irreverent writing like the next woman but am turned off by Ekai’s writing style. With that said, her pic is gorgeous and her command of designers is impressive to say the least.
DBCO…what a hypocrite: hubris…wtf , narratives they weave wtf, “to ignorantly throw out not-commonly used words is juvenile at best. At worst, this practice doesn’t prove your smart”.
1. Her name is up there
2. Am…do you mean I’m
3. text…do you mean context
4. non-commonly…do you mean uncommonly
5. Ask at your school if there are remedial classes you can take, you really want to be able to spell and write in June 2008
If you are gonna come, come correct
Wow .. Pipe down ladies… my good ness
She writes beautifully about beautiful clothing and accessories and she is beautiful!!! I just wanted to be bring it back to what it’s all about. She is a real fashionista. From her blog you can tell she lives and breathes fashion and knows what she is talking about. Even the design is admirable. It’s not one of those cluttered blogs that take hours to load because of advertising or foolish disorderly slides and pics.
You go girl!!!
Same Robin from previous post :)
No, B — I meant what I said “not-commonly,” I didn’t say “noncommonly” and uncommonly would not be a term that is applicable to the point I made. Yes, I made a typographical error w/”text” and not “context. ” Yet, you understood what I wrote. Further, I gave the fact that I am in a Ph.D. program to provide context that I am very familiar with advanced readings and writings. My issue is that many of the partial sentences/ terms that Ekei utilized don’t make sense. For instance, as a historian many in our field write and talk about “narratives that writers/scholars weave.” Whether you think I’m a hypocrite is inconsequential. I did not throw out “a constantly alternating aegis.” You attacked the typo I made but still have not translated Ekei’s confusing statement that STILL does not make sense.
If you want to know my name, it is Deirdre Cooper Owens and you can check out my profile by Googling me. I have always come correct, this is why I was the only recruited African American student in UCLA’s Dept. of History from 2002 - 2007. Further, I received six out of six job offers as a Ph.D. candidate and will begin teaching this year at a Research 1 school. Making one typo on a blog does not detract from either my success or intelligence. Now B, who are you to suggest that I attend a remedial class?
I was critical of Ekei H.’s writing because she didn’t have a typo or two inside of the text, she used terms that did not make sense. Whether you agree with the word “hubris” or not does not make my use of it unintelligible. In the end, I complimented her knowledge of designers because ultimately, this is the most important fact.
Hubris: “Deirdre Cooper Owens and you can check out my profile by Googling me. I have always come correct, this is why I was the only recruited African American student in UCLA’s Dept. of History from 2002 - 2007. Further, I received six out of six job offers as a Ph.D. candidate and will begin teaching this year at a Research 1 school. Making one typo on a blog does not detract from either my success or intelligence. Now B, who are you to suggest that I attend a remedial class?” WHO CARES!!!
Aegis: under someone’s ægis could mean doing something under protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source (made sense to me but i borrowed this from wiki to help you out)
Ekei writing is wonderful and perfectly suitable for the “text”. Fashion NOT African American history which I am sure you are excellently qualified to comment on. I will not share my name with you because I really want this to end here. Like yourself I am in graduate school, unlike yourself I have worked tirelessly to ensure that other minorities apply and are accepted to my program.
I am not opposed to criticism…but your remarks are simply tangential
I refuse to come back to this….I cant believe that i am even responding now!!
“A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B.”
LOL
Big UP to Ekei!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fabulous feature. Her writing and knowledge of fashion - brilliant!
Ekei / Chic Simplicity,
^5 to you! keep rolling and doing you…Bergdorf carries everything I need too…LOL!
What I don’t understand is why the two rodomontade posters above have gotten their silk and lace panties in a bunch over a few words…Ladies, ladies, please calm down!
Clutch this was a great article!
Thanks
wow. ekei’s great. just read her blog. for those that love her, u can vote for her at
http://www.glam.com/contests/2008networkawards/2008networkawards.php
she is in the fashion publishers category (chic simplicity)
you can vote once everyday
show some love.x.
yea guys, u can vote everyday till april 10
wow… after reading this interview i could not stop laughing! is this young lady serious?? i haven’t visited ekei’s blog, but if this q&a is an indication of her writing style i’m not so sure that i would find her blog enjoyable. but hey, everything is not for everybody! judging by the comments i don’t think she’ll have a problem finding readers. i wish her the best!
people need to stop hating. she is great. even if her writing is not your thing, she has a ton a great pictures. i know she’ll well. HOT.
She is okay, and I’d visit her site. But I kind of agree with DBCO; Ekei’s use of the word aegis was out of place and a bit awkward. I’m a writer and I believe in writing for clarity and that sometimes simplicity is best. The best writing is that that values clarity (again) over verbosity. Either way, I don’t normally dissect others writing and I’m not taking away from her. I like the fact that she love fashion. In the end, it’s just a blog for fun.
I think this is a great feature. I’ve been reading her blog for a while, and you can tell she knows what she’s talking about and is very into high fashion. I think the fact that she seems so passionate and serious about high fashion may come as out of the ordinary for a few folks, we are expecting her to have the tone of the seemly typical black writer (whatever we have come to expect that to be). Great job.
I just wanna check her Good will bags before she sends them off!!!!