Beyonce in a Legal Battle for Her Own Name

I’d truly meant to spare you all the news that broke Monday about Beyonce finally inking her first signature fragrance deal. My reasoning: it’s gonna be made by Coty, no one above voting age would dare wear it; and it’ll probably stank like Lady GaGa after a spinning class.
But the news just got juicier, so it merits sharing.
According to a breaking WWD.com report, a lawsuit’s just been filed against Beyonce that seeks to restrict her from following through with the perfume license that was expected to add another $3 to $10 million to her bank account over the next three years.
Abercrombie & Fitch, of all people, marched into U.S. District Court Tuesday seeking to force Beyonce from capitalizing on her “Sasha Fierce” alter ego. This sets up as an intriguing court battle.
Reportedly, A&F trademarked the “Fierce” fragrance name back in 2003, but Beyonce started trying to trademark a “Sasha Fierce” as a fragrance (without a manufacturer or retail deal in place) just last year. In spite of “cease and desist”. warnings from A&F’s lawyers to back off, Beyonce went on with the process
The announcement of Bey’s new perfume deal just threw gas on the fire, apparently.
Take-away Lesson: Trademark your contrived, new, concert-ticket-selling stage name before you foist it on the numb-skull masses.

'Real Housewives' star selling underwear

Go ahead, call me Ishmael.
I just couldn’t resist taking a hasty ‘fishing’ expedition once word reached me about the pending Fashion Week debut of Dwight Eubanks’ new underwear line.
Eubanks owns the venerable Purple Door Salons in Atlanta and deserves to have his mugshot placed next to the definition of “lavish” in any dictionary. The TV-viewing public knows him best as the chap who virtually hijacked Season 1 of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” franchise.
“Who is this girl (Sheree) who had a fashion show with no fashions?”
If that’s not Bartlett’s material, what is?
Anyway, Eubanks (left, with Atlanta socialite Tracie Howard) has an ax to grind with the sorry state of men’s underwear. And he reckons he’ll start correcting it with the launch of his new “Tool Box” label on September 14 at the M2 Ultra Lounge in lower Manhattan.
Partial proceeds from the $40-$100 collection, which will include pajamas and smoking jackets at retail outlets to be determined, will benefit AIDS charities.
“I’m going for the kill,” Eubanks said, after being asked how far he’s willing to reach for more than the fame “Real Housewives…” has already afforded him..
He calls “Tool Box” one man’s humble answer to the saggy, baggy jeans trend popularized by urban youth.
“They’re not going to stop wearing their pants that way. So they might as well show (underwear) that looks good.”
And he demurely coughed _ three times, at suggestive two second intervals _ when asked if the underwear brand launch was part of a master plan to land a reality series of his own.
“If that was what this is all about, then it would have to include everything about me: the parties I throw, the circles I travel in, the hair, the makeup, all that. But I wouldn’t rule it out.”

Top 10 Fashion Colors for 2010 Announced

Think twice, ladies, before you start weeding out items in your current spring/summer wardrobes. According to the leading indicator of color trends for 2010, some things you already have may get a second life.
Just as New York Fashion Week is getting underway, the Pantone Color Institute has revealed the Top 10 shades chosen by designers in Manhattan for their ready-to-wear collections.
According to a WWD.com report, roughly 13 percent of all designers staging previews showed a preference for the same three pastel shades registered by Pantone: turquoise, aurora (yellow) and violet.
(At left, the Spring/Summer 2010 pantsuit from Helmut Lang.)

On the lower edge of unanimity, about 7 percent of designers preferred: dried herb (olive), pink and (bright) blue.
Pantone’s executive director, Leatrice Eiseman, told WWD the color choices were a sign of “cautious optimism”.
They lead this Eye to expect that white and brown will be the key accessory colors.
That remains to be seen as the week unfolds. Check back soon for EyeSeeStyle’s Fashion Week updates.

Photo: WWD.com

Ebony Fashion Fair Fizzles Out

Say farewell to those outdated runway productions known as the Ebony Fashion Fair. After 50 years of striving to rise above the “chittlin’ circuit” of traveling trend previews, Ebony has admitted defeat against the rising tide of dire economics.
United Press International reports that the show won’t go on. According to UPI, Johnson Publishing CEO Linda Johnson Rice released a Labor Day weekend statement, saying: “In the coming months, we will develop a new business model to ensure that the show is a mutually beneficial endeavor.”
She also alluded to “challenges” in enticing corporate sponsors.
Man, oh man: can this mean that the demise of Jet and Ebony magazines can’t be far behind?
For decades, the Ebony Fashion Fair has served as a major fund-raising vehicle, and the Miami Herald has already quoted an area philanthropist who calls the news “devastating”.
But is it really?



Did the “stomp-pop-and-twirl” cavalcade stand any chance of survival in this “Real Housewives…” world we’ve adopted?
Does anyone out there think the Ebony Fashion Fair will be missed?
POST A COMMENT (BELOW) TO SHARE YOUR OPINION!
Photos: Flickr