While us mere mortals longed for some semblance of a vacation, Beyonce -- along with Jay-Z and family and friends -- cruised along the coasts of Italy and France in a luxurious yacht. The hardest working woman in entertainment took her annual European trip and visited hotspots such as St. Tropez & Cannes in France, Portoferraio & Portofino in Italy and Monaco.

About the fashion...

• Prints, prints and more prints! Tribal/ethnic, animal… you name it. While photographing the sights in Portoferraio, Beyonce wore a leopard print cover up over her bikini. A leopard print tote was the bag of choice for many excursions as well.

• After docking in St. Tropez, Beyonce appeared in a colorful look combining a host of prints. Yahoo's omg! described the ensemble as "garish," but I think she pulled it off. The Boxing Kitten “Kitt” shorts and Dries van Noten ikat blouse seem to just go together, for the occasion.

• In Cannes, Beyonce rocked the summer essential – the romper. She chose an olive, green romper and accessorized with gold accessories and shoes.

• In Portofino, the singer went for a more rugged look. Once again wearing muted greens, Beyonce donned a draped top and cardigan with short shorts. The boots pictured are actually “Camouflage Tulip” from House of Dereon's Fall 2010 Collection.

• Every outfit was accessorized with chunky, statement jewelry. On the beauty tip, Beyonce kept the makeup to a minimum and is clearly still in love with her eggshell/tiffany blue nail polish.

The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards took place last night. To be honest, I don't know who won what. I can tell you, however, who wore what! Some dresses were gorgeous, others were underwhelming and a few were overwhelming. Here's a recap of some of the notable red carpet fashion trends.

Both Kim Kardashian and Glee's Amber Riley went for the white, grecian goddess look. Amber wore a Melissa Masse dress while Kim chose a Marchesa gown and accessorized the look with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry. Eva Longoria's designer of choice was Robert Rodriguez. Her black gown was a mixture of textures with its corset top and feather detailed on the skirt. Rutina Wesley, who plays Tara on True Blood, mixed up the popular colors - black and white- in a painted Douglas Hannant gown with a thigh high slit.

Another popular color on the red carpet was blue. Mad Men's January Jones chose an interesting knee-length gown with a train from Armani Privé. Glee actress, Lea Michelle, whose 24th birthday coincided with Emmy night, wore a ruffle-tiered, navy gown from Oscar de la Renta.


The Closer's Kyra Sedgwick wore a flattering burgundy gown courtesy of Monique Lhuillier. Dianna Agron of Glee fame, wore a strapless, tiered Carolina Herrera gown finished off with a black bow.


Cheryl Hines and Julie Benz both chose light colored, flowy, one-shoulder gowns. Cheryl's silver gown featured asymmetrical pleats and a tassel at the shoulder. The Pamella Roland gown Julie Benz wore had a cutout detail at the waist.

Aaliyah was my favorite female R&B artist of the 90s & beyond. When the "Are You That Somebody?" video was released,  I took the TV hostage until I learned and mastered the entire choreography. I even recorded it for easy playback lol. (I know I'm not the only person who recorded music videos back in the day). I wanted the burgundy tipped hair "Baby Girl better known as Aaliyah" rocked in the "Try Again" video. I even bought Tommy Hilfiger and swept my bangs to the side to emulate her trademark style.

A week or two before summer break was over, my friends and I were on our way to the amusement park. Coincidentally, that day, we busted out some Aaliyah tapes. I'm not sure why we were listening to Aaliyah tracks. It may have been the buzz surrounding her latest album that had us digging for the "old" stuff.

On the way back from our end of summer excursion, news spread of Aaliyah's passing. My mother who had to deal with my Aaliyah obsession throughout the years was thoughtful enough to purchase the Aaliyah album the next week.

9 years have passed and I still remember that day like it was yesterday. Today, I just wanted to share some of my favorite Aaliyah videos/songs.

Are You That Somebody?






One In A Million






If Your Girl Only Knew






Rock the Boat






The One I Gave My Heart To

I have these white shorts. I bought them 2 years ago in anticipation of a cruise to the Caribbean. The ship sailed and docked and two summers later, the tag is still on The Shorts! I make every excuse not to wear them: 1) Fear of a ketchup and mustard incident at a cookout. 2) The Shorts will end up dirty due to a subway ride. 3) I'll rub my eyes and get a streak of black eyeliner on the white shorts. 4) A random kid with painted hands will hug me.


The shorts are cute. They fit well and some days, the outfit planning process would be simpler if I just threw on these white shorts. Whenever I see someone wearing white pants/shorts or "all white everything"  - I think about The Shorts. I actually decided to wear them last week but - of course - the idea was nixed for fear of looking like I coordinated outfits with a friend.

The end of summer is fast approaching. Let's see if I can rock my white shorts before the seasons change. Then again, there's always next year.