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How Kobe Bryant’s First Stylist Changed His Off-Court Play — Andscape

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Stylist Paige Grant I first met Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on the opening of Phillipe Chow in Beverly Hills, Calif. It was 2009, and the restaurant’s opening coincided with the Lakers cover. Looking back, Geran said it was a pivotal moment for each of them.

“He was going through a transformation,” Geran recalled. “When he went from number 8 to 24, I wouldn’t say he transformed (into himself), but he did transform. He started taking more pictures and going outside.”

Geran had been working with Bryant’s team before the Philippe Chow meeting, normally on small requests. For example, when the rapper Lil Wayne was performing in Los Angeles, and since he was Bryant’s favorite, Bryant wanted Lil Wayne to wear his jersey. Geran delivered the jersey to Lil Wayne’s team.

When Geran connected with Bryant on the opening of the restaurant on his cover, the Lakers star desired to add the stylist to his roster. As his team built a rapport with Geran, they began working together. She would style Bryant from 2009 to 2011.

“It took him a while to get going at first because for him, having a stylist was really confusing,” Geran said. “They were wondering how it would even work. They knew he needed someone, but there weren’t many players who had stylists at the time.”

The biggest change has been working with designers to create custom-made garments which have the Lakers star’s proportions. “Designers now often cater to players’ athletic builds and shoe sizes,” Geran said. “(Designers) are smart now. They’re creating ready-to-wear that players can wear because working with athletes is a gold mine.”

And working with Bryant was easy. “He was incredibly detail-oriented, and as his primary stylist, so was I,” Geran said. “He said, ‘This is your thing. This is my thing. If I know basketball, you know fashion.’” Bryant didn’t offer much guidance, but then he wasn’t into suits.

“He was a lover of high-end luxury, like custom leather jackets and jeans,” she said. “He just wanted to look good, but he didn’t want to spend a lot of time on it. He didn’t like fittings at all. So I had to master the art of being a mad scientist when it came to measurements and measurements.”

Geran describes working with Bryant as unconventional. Typically, a stylist would map out a month’s price of looks for an athlete, but with Bryant, Geran met with him weekly handy over the outfits.

“My collaboration with him was somewhere between slapstick and drama,” she said, describing the handovers. “You had to catch up during the week. I actually had to go to the rehearsal center. I would go to the plane and hand him his stuff if he had trips. I would go straight to a private airport, which is completely unconventional, and, again, he didn’t do fittings.”

Designer Paige Geran says working with Los Angeles Lakers point guard Kobe Bryant was “somewhere between slapstick comedy and drama.”

Paige Grant

One moment Geran remembers is when designer Tom Ford’s personal tailor got here to try on Bryant for Tom Ford suits. Bryant, who was at a physician’s appointment, wanted to fulfill with the tailor immediately after the appointment.

Bryant never knew what he would wear on game day until he opened Geran’s bag. She created an off-the-field style for Bryant that was somewhere between a fresh tackle old Hollywood’s classic suiting and the elevated wardrobe adopted by footballer David Beckham, who traded in baggy pants for slimmer, more tailored silhouettes.

“He’s like, ‘Hey, do you think he can meet me in the parking lot?’ I’m like, ‘No, he’ll think we’re crazy. Can you go back to the rehearsal room?’ He’d be at the Staples Center at a concert and he’d be like, ‘Paige, I’m really cold. Can you bring me a jacket?’ And I’m like, ‘Staples Center?’”

“At that particular moment in the NBA, that was the style,” Geran said. Before they began working together, Bryant wore huge Gucci suits or sweatpants, so Geran enjoyed watching him blossom and embrace fashion. Through Geran, Bryant found his style and continued to slot in a strict dress code for athletes introduced by NBA commissioner David Stern in 2005, created after the 2004 Malice within the Palace brawl.When Adam Silver became commissioner after Stern left in 2014, he gave players more freedom.

“You had to wear collared shirts, or you had to wear a suit, depending on the team, if you were traveling,” Geran said. “But all those rules are gone now. The NBA and fashion have collided. It’s a really industrial business for the players and the NBA. So that modified all the things.

“If you walked into the world before the sport in a tracksuit, you bought a $10,000 advantageous (under the old rules). Now guys wear T-shirts and skirts. They just let everyone be free. You cannot sit in press conferences with sunglasses on since you’d get an enormous advantageous. It’s crazy how much it’s evolved. I’m sure Kobe would take a look at people and think, ‘What the hell?’

Below, Geran looks back at how three of Bryant’s timeless looks got here to be.


ABC, Season 8

Kobe Bryant (left) – point guard of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jimmy Kimmel (right) – host of the evening show Jimmy Kimmel LivApril 6, 2010

Mitch Haddad/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

“Kobe was really comfortable in black because they called him the Black Mamba. I might put these sick black outfits on him because that was his energy. This is a leather jacket that I made for him. At the time, a gentleman named Eric had an organization called the Jean Shop, and everybody within the NBA would buy their custom jeans from that shop.

“That particular night, he had an event right after that. But yeah, that leather jacket, I’ve made a ton of custom leather jackets and I had to make them on the fly. I design and create and pull from different things. I was making them like crazy and that was one of them. He even talked to me about doing a leather jacket line. It never happened, but he loved the leather jackets I made for him so much.”


2010 NBA Finals, Game 2: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant answers questions from the media during a post-game press conference on June 6, 2010, after the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

“It’s a Dolce & Gabbana sweater, off the rack. I used to take my sweaters to the dry cleaners and have them aired and stretched. I needed to stretch the sleeves because Kobe had 60 inches within the shoulders and 60 inches within the chest, which was very dramatic.

“All of his custom shirts (like the one he wears under his sweater) are from Anto’s of Beverly Hills. They’re legends. I had Kobe sign the cover we did so they could put it on their wall. They have Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. shirt designs in their vault. Oh my God. They’re like the best shirt makers.”


, ABC, Season 8

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant holds the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy during his performance at Jimmy Kimmel LiJune 18, 2010

Karen Neal

“It was a special moment. It was the day after they won his last championship and his fifth ring. He was wearing a Gucci jacket that was popular on the time. Justin Timberlake recently wore it in his music video. Floyd Mayweather, you’d see him in all the colours. It was called the Madonna jacket. I ordered that jacket from Italy for him.

“Sometimes I would order his stuff and just put it away for a while. It was perfect because he won the championship and all the guys were dressed like super-regular degular. That jacket was very classic and Gucci has been remaking it for years.”

Channing Hargrove is a senior fashion author at Andscape. It’s easier said than done than how much I discover with the words “Single Black female addicted to retail.”

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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An attempt to save the image of Jeff Bezos’ future wife backfired after weeks of outrage and ridicule over her skimpy outfit

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Lauren Sánchez has apparently gained a popularity for her fashion hits and misses as social media users began following her every move.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ current fiancée stepped into the highlight long before she met the Amazon co-founder, after years spent as co-host of “Good Day LA,” a reporter for “Extra” and host of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and he even starred in a number of movies like “Ted 2.”

She faced criticism for posting a sultry selfie in November in a negligee-inspired gown by designer Laura Basca. In October, the 54-year-old again faced backlash when she showed off her latex Halloween costume as Catwoman.

Now, weeks after being deemed “cheap” and tasteless, the founder of Black Ops Aviation has turn out to be a subject of discussion.

Jeff Bezos’ fiancée Lauren Sánchez shows off a “winter white” look, weeks after critics slammed her busty latex outfit. (Photos: @laurenwsanchez/Instagram, Theimagedirect.com via Page Six)

On December 5, Sánchez and the business mogul attended The New York Times’ DealBook event in New York City. For the occasion, she wore a white Alexander McQueen suit and a white lace corset. The beaming bride-to-be sent two mirror selfies of her outfit, which she signed: “winter white.”

One follower particularly was stunned by the whole look he ejaculated that she was “very attractive and beautiful, gorgeous and stunning, charming and fantastic young lady, sexy, charming, charming and elegant” in the photos that Sánchez took.

Two other people swooned over the photos and wrote: “So chic and elegant!” and “You look great.” But as you would possibly expect from online viewers, not everyone was impressed.

When Page six published paparazzi photos from the trip, the critic commented: “It’s 30 degrees in New York and she gets out of the limo in a white Miami smock, her bra visible to everyone. No taste. Nothing. A cashmere turtleneck, flannel trousers and a wool jacket can be classy.

Someone else sharply asked: “Who can be the first to tell her that she looks tacky and not elegant and refined? Does she even know what sophistication means? A 3rd person noted: “She looks more like she’s wearing a bathrobe.”

Another person wrote in a comment from a licensed pilot: “White means…” possibly referring to rumors that Sánchez and Bezos are scheduled to exchange vows over Christmas. At least one person doubted the couple would have the opportunity to say “I do.” This person said: “This will be the longest engagement ever. They will NEVER get married and we all know why!!!!”

Sánchez told the “Today” show hosts that she was in the process of planning the big day last month. She didn’t comment on speculation about exchanging Christmas vows.

Renewed interest and scrutiny of Sánchez has increased as the pair have been spotted in various locations in recent months. The couple reportedly began dating in 2018. Their engagement was announced five years later, in May 2023. Their upcoming wedding can be a second journey for each of them.

Sánchez was previously married to celebrity agent Patric Whitesell, with whom she has two children. She can be the mother of a son, whom she shares with Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. Bezos was married to the mother of his three children, Mackenzie Scott, for 25 years once they divorced in 2019.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Apart from the song with singer-songwriter India Shawn – Andscape

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India Shawn is a contemporary muse with a chilled nature, crafting love stories and heartfelt tales in smooth, charming songs. With over a decade of experience in the music industry as a singer-songwriter, Shawn has incredible strength. She was born in Los Angeles, and her musical roots reach throughout the country. Beginning her profession in her hometown, Shawn eventually found herself in Atlanta, where she immersed herself in the city’s deep-rooted R&B scene, further shaping her artistry.

“I transferred to ATL, I was in 10th grade, and that’s when my music journey really started,” Shawn told Andscape. “I met people who were trying to get by, so I ended up recording and learned what songwriting was really early on.”

Before releasing her debut EP in 2012, Shawn wrote songs and collaborated with artists similar to Chris Brown, El DeBarge, Keri Hilson and Monica. In 2013, she gained much more notoriety when Solange Knowles published her song “I’m Alive” on the Saint Heron compilationmarking her as an artist value watching.

Following the release of the single “There Must Be a God” from the Andscape soundtrack, she caught up with Shawn to learn more about the muse behind the vibes.


Singer India Shawn grew up singing in church with her family. “I feel like most of us R&B kids have that experience,” she said.

India Shawn

Name:
India Shawn

Hometown:

Los Angeles

Artistic soundscape

Airy, soft, telling a story, multidimensional, soft, mysterious, atmospheric

The oldest musical memory

Shawn’s soulful sound is deeply rooted in her upbringing, with influences drawn from her childhood memories and the musical culture of her church. “I sing with my sister all the time, and I also grew up singing behind my mom in church. She was the leader of praise and worship. So I feel like most of us R&B kids have that experience,” Shawn said. “I had these little solos in church, and I believe what made me consider in it was that after the service people got here as much as me with tears of their eyes and said, ‘You really moved me while you sang.’ “These early moments of connection with music and audiences laid the foundation for conveying depth and sensitivity through her music.

Influences

For Shawn, music, especially R&B, has all the time held a special place in her life. “Me and my sister are harmonizing in the living room, just picking some of our favorite songs, including for me Mariah Carey, Babyface, Boyz II Men and (and) Brandy,” she said of her early music memories.

Creative process

Shawn often draws inspiration from real-life experiences and relationships that influence her music. She weaves this into the authenticity and atmosphere of her songs, but she didn’t immediately recognize where her inspiration got here from. “It’s funny that it took me so long to make that connection, but I realized that I was telling my whole story and presenting my business through my music,” she said. “It took me two albums to realize, wait a minute, I’m giving people a lot to understand here… these aren’t just songs. This is truly the life I live.”

Challenges and development

As Shawn’s profession grows, so do his moments of appreciation and reflection. “I literally just thought about a very gradual progression of my career. It’s like step by step, but there are more breakthrough moments. My first tour, which was so beautiful, I just knew I could pack a room and people knew my lyrics and sang my songs to me. Those moments that make the waiting not in vain.”

Shawn has plenty of recommendation for up-and-coming singer-songwriters. Her biggest sacrifice? Collaboration is essential. “I think (cooperation) is really why I’m still here. So find your people… you’ll know when it feels right, you’ll have that freedom and fluidity, and you’ll be able to really create things and create without having to think too much.” He also shares the importance of patience. “Just be patient during the journey. This has been a theme throughout my profession. Let it develop. I feel like more things come from being in that flow and being present reasonably than forcing all of it.

Current project

There should be a God”, the lead single from Andscape , now streaming on Hulu, also serves as a teaser for Shawn’s solo album. “(This song) is such a manifestation of God’s love,” she said. “I think when you find yourself in a place of waiting, you can feel very hopeless. So when you see glimpses of God’s love again, or the fact that you know there is a higher power, there is a source that is thinking about you, has you in mind, has a perfect plan for you, it’s just like the clouds parting. And this is the moment, I understand. I understand that I had to go through all this to get here. And that’s exactly what I felt in the studio that day.”

Sheila Matthews is a digital producer at Andscape and a proud HBCU graduate. She believes “Return of the Mack” must have won a Grammy, and her Twitter mentions are open to all debate.

This article was originally published on : andscape.com
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ICYMI: Tessa Thompson’s Mocha Lip, Danielle Brooks’ Updo and More – Essence

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With just a number of weeks left until the tip of 2024, the celebrities are setting the tone for the brand new 12 months this week. And although mocha mousse is anticipated to be fashionable in 2025, neutral shades in darker tones have gotten more and more popular. Paired with an array of beauty eras – from elegant Twenties updos to 2000s-style round pink, the brand new Hollywood showcases its best 12 months-end beauty moments.

Tessa Thompson and Issa Rae are the newest to debut mocha lips holiday shade near the season, and Coco Jones’ lipstick was cranberry red. Doechii’s perforated suggestions and signature face-lift tape made it probably the most avant-garde look of the week, and within the sweetest moment, Chloe and Halle Bailey’s round pink cheeks made pink cheeks a winter styling staple.

From makeup to hairstyles, Sabrina Elba and Alva Claire opted for light, coffee colours, and Jourdan Dunn’s short hairstyle proved relevant at any time of the 12 months. Meanwhile, Lupita N’yongo, Danielle Brooks and Venus Williams’ braided buns showed just how classic this style may be.

In case you missed it, take a take a look at 17 of the very best celebrity beauty moments from the week below.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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