I usually love Tracy Reese, I own about 6 of her dresses, but this season was a bit disappointing.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will kick off with Michael Angel followed by BCBGMAXAZRIA, Duckie Brown, Ports 1961, Cesar Galindo, Cynthia Steffe, Yigal Azrouel, Charlotte Ronson, Nicole Miller, This Day/Arise: African Fashion Collective, Venexiana, Lacoste, Georges Chakra, Andy & Debb, Academy of Art University, Christian Siriano, Chado Ralph Rucci, Vivienne Tam, Lela Rose, Derek Lam, DKNY, Thuy, Hervé Léger by Max Azria, Diane Von Furstenberg, Rebecca Taylor, Tuleh, Custo Barcelona, Carolina Herrera, Carlos Miele, Jill Stuart, Tracy Reese, Donna Karan, Yeohlee, Tadashi Shoji, TonyCohen, Gottex, Badgley Mischka, Brian Reyes, Toni Maticevski, Pamella Roland, MAX AZRIA, Dennis Basso, Willow, Tibi, Narciso Rodriguez, Toni Francesc, Tory Burch, Michael Kors, Nanette Lepore, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Milly by Michelle Smith, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Anna Sui, Doo.Ri, Ralph Lauren, Isaac Mizrahi, Trias, Calvin Klein, Chocheng, Argentinean Designer Collections and Tommy Hilfiger.

TRESemmé signed on as the official haircare sponsor of this year’s spring shows for NYC Fashion Week granting the
brand with backstage access at one of the industry’s biggest events. TRESemmé Celebrity Stylist Nathaniel Hawkins, who led the hair teams for Tracy Reese and Cynthia Rowley, dishes his secrets for getting the look.

“This season, we saw a return to simple, yet beautiful hair. Whether the look of the show was
soft and feminine or exhibited more of an edge, the common thread remained the hair looks -
face flattering and pretty. And the best thing about these styles is that they are easy to achieve
with the right products and tools,” says Hawkins.

Here are the trends, right off the runways, courtesy of TRESemmé:

Wave of Independence
“Gone are the days of binding curls and waves. This season, it is all about laid back, yet feminine glamour,” adds Hawkins. Rachel Roy, L’Wren Scott, Rebecca Taylor, Diane von Furstenberg and Anna Sui all sent this look down their runways. To get these hot waves:

1. Scrunch TRESemmé Flawless Curls Curl Hydration Lotion Crème into damp hair.

2. Blow dry the hair with a diffuser using the fingers or let it dry naturally.

3. Part hair evenly down the middle and finger comb each side into a ponytail.

4. Taking each ponytail, twist the lengths of the hair until it starts to twist onto itself,
creating a bun on each side of the head; secure each bun with a hair pin.

5. Using the diffuser, dry each bun and let the hair sit for 20 minutes.

6. Remove the pins and finger comb hair, creating beautiful, tousled waves.

7. Run a dime-size amount of the TRESemmé Anti-Frizz Secret Styling Crème over the
lengths of the hair to tame flyaways and add shine.

Mixed Up
“A lot of shows this season featured a dual-finish hairstyle with either a mix of shiny and matte or rough and smooth,” notes Hawkins who created such a look for Cynthia Rowley’s show.  Other designers who showcased the look included:  Alexander Wang, Erin Fetherston, Thakoon and Richard Chai.

To copy the ponytail follow these simple steps:
1. Pull hair back into a ponytail using a boar bristle brush

2. Work TRESemmé Anti-Frizz Secret Styling Crème into the hair at the top of the ponytail
but not throughout the lengths of the hair.

3. Spray the mid-shafts and ends of the hair with TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat
Tamer Spray.

4. Blow dry hair against the natural direction of the cuticle to create a rough texture, which
will contrast the sleek, shiny top section of the head.

5. Finish this look with a touch of TRESemmé TRES Two Extra Hold Hair Spray
throughout the ponytail.

Hawkins and the TRESemmé Styling Team tied shiny black ribbon on all of the models at the Cynthia Rowley show to add a touch of glam.

Soft Around the Edges
“Stick straight locks had their moment on the runway, but the look right now is all about smooth hair with some bend and movement,” says Hawkins.  This chic style was seen on the runways of some of fashion’s biggest names including BCBG, Doo.Ri and Donna Karen.  Hawkins loved the way this styled complemented the straight lines at the Herve Leger show.

Getting the look is simple:

1. Apply TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray to hair, followed by a liberal application of TRESemmé Thermal Creations Volumizing Mousse from the roots of the hair to the ends.

2. Blow hair dry with a medium-sized round brush.

3. Spray Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray onto the hair again.

4. Take sections of hair twice the depth of the flatiron plate, pull the iron away from the head to create a slight curvature.

5. Add runway-worthy shine by lightly spraying the TRESemmé No Frizz Shine Spray.

I’m usually abreast to these things, but had no idea this existed. For 6 seasons, Tracey Reese has been releasing nail polish to match her runway collections through Sally Hansen. They go for $6 bucks a pop and come in some truly unique, Reese-worthy colors. Me wanti…

LINKAGE: Reese’s Polishes: More and more beauty companies are…

After over-analyzed controversy followed the First Lady for her choice to wear Jason Wu at the Presidential inauguration ball, Michelle Obama is “redeeming” herself with the black community, sporting a flirty and feminine Tracy Reese dress on the latest cover of People Magazine. For those of you who don’t know, Tracy Reese happens to be a black designer, and a very talented one at that. But before the media goes over-analyzing her fashion choice, let it be know that Obama is, in fact, a Tracy Reese fan. During a fundraiser in 2008, Obama and Reese had the opportunity of meeting where she confessed: “I need to be wearing [Reese's] clothes!” Tracy Reese designs affordable and stylish clothing that real women want to wear. Although Obama very well could have chosen this dress to brush the designer-race issue under the rug, she is a real woman who is obligated to inspire real women! Why wouldn’t Obama choose Tracy Reese to join her cult of designers?  

I guess Obama’s message about designers will be more evident in the future, but as for now, I enjoy Obama’s colorblind approach to choosing labels. White, black, asian, hispanic, middle eastern- every race has brilliant designers. Let the first lady wear what makes her unique. Nobody is telling you who to keep in your closet, so why should America tell Obama who to keep in hers? 

Thanks NY Daily!

Last week’s Fashion Week was no different than any other Fashion Week. Designers still scrambled to show off their edgy silhouetted designs. Celebrities still claimed coveted front row seats to Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga. And, once again, the runway lacked diversity. This time, however, the white domination of the catwalk has some fashion icons on edge.

It seems like this past Fashion Week tried to mask its lack of black runway models.In the past,The Council of Fashion Designers of America left ethnic diversity up to the designers. This year’s president, Diane von Furstenberg, urged all designers to keep their models racially varied. Sure, black models walked in DKNY and Tracy Reese, but what about the hundreds of other designers who used few, or even no black models? It takes more than a few designers to launch ethnic diversity in the fashion industry, and with the runways creeping back to white, the “black issue” is again on the rise. 

But is the tendency for white models a racist ploy by designers or merely in consciousness of their designs? Some designers claim to use mostly white models in order to keep the “ethnicity” of the model from influencing the interpretation of his or her design. Others claim that the black model is unavailable by the agencies. Some even claim that selection is natural, and ethnicity is never in consideration.

Indeed, it is the designers right to cast models regardless of race, but if designers are truly conscious of women, shouldn’t they consider “women” as a general term? Black. White. Asian. Hispanic. Middle Eastern. We’re all women, right? Show us you design for women. All of us.

Thanks Style and  Reuters!

I must say that I am a little disappointed in this Tracy Reese collection. For the past two seasons, I have missed her bright patterns and bold tailoring, along with the feminine suits and bubble skirts which I so love. This was a very safe collection and showed no growth for the designer as a whole, instead it showcased a look that other designers have already exhausted, but please feel free to disagree with me.

Thanks Style.com for the pics

Tracy Reese is taking an additional 10 percent off merchandise already marked 40 percent to 60 percent off. Through 8/24. 641 Hudson St., nr. Gansevoort St. (212-807-0505); Mon.–Wed. (11–7), Thurs. (11–8), Fri.–Sat. (11–7), Sun. (noon–6).

Flight 001 is taking 30 to 75 percent off carry-on bags, gadgets, and other travel accessories from Orla Kiely, Y-3, and Paul Smith. 96 Greenwich Ave., at Jane St. (212-989-0001), 132 Smith St., at Dean St., Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (718-243-0001), and 58 Fifth Ave., at Bergen St., Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-789-1001); call for store hours.

ShopRobertson.com has 30 to 70 percent off apparel and accessories from Mike & Chris, Geren Ford, and Vegas & Mia. The Madrid slingback wedges by Dolce Vita are down to $32 (originally $108).

Thanks NY Mag.

Tonight at 8:30pm, BET is airing its much anticipated special Fashion Blackout. This show will bring together all the big names in black fashion (Naomi Campbell, Andre Leon Talley, Constance White, Tracy Reese and more) to talk about the lack of black presence within the industry.