A few folks are salty at First Lady Michelle Obama because she did not choose to wear a gown from a black designer during the many Inaugural balls she attended with husband, President Barack Obama:

The Black Artists Association is upset with our new First Lady for not wearing clothes by African-American designers. BAA Cofounder Amnau Eele, who was a runway model for Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, and Bill Blass, told WWD, “It’s fine and good if you want to be all ‘Kumbaya’ and ‘We Are the World’ by representing all different countries. But if you are going to have Isabel Toledo do the inauguration dress, and Jason Wu do the evening gown, why not have Kevan Hall, B Michael, Stephen Burrows or any of the other black designers do something too?” READ MORE / SOURCE

Designer Isabel Toledo is of Cuban descent and Wu is of Asian descent – both are also independent designers.

And back on the subject of Inauguration fashion – Aretha Franklin’s extravagant hat she wore during the ceremony is now wanted by the Smithsonian Museum. However, The Queen Of Soul might have a hard time letting go of the phenomenon:

“I am considering it. It would be hard to part with my chapeau since it was such a crowning moment in history,” says the Queen of Soul. “I would like to smile every time I look back at it and remember what a great moment it was in American and African-American history. Ten cheers for President Obama.” SOURCE

The museum already obtained Michelle Obama’s dress to place in it’s First Lady Gowns exhibit – they hope to have Franklin’s hat to sit in along side Mrs. Obama’s gown.

Diddy is continuing to build up his empire – the entertainment mogul along with Liz Claiborne Inc. announced this week that Combs purchased fashion label Enyce. Diddy said in a press release:

“Enyce is a brand that I have always admired, and they have been a very important player in the young men’s sportswear arena for over a decade. I am really excited to bring it into our portfolio of brands that already includes Sean John and Zac Posen…

Our long-term plan is to grow the Enyce brand through innovative marketing, expansion of the menswear and boy’s lines, and launching into new licensing categories. The current economic climate may be challenging, but we believe it is also an opportunity, and we are really excited to add Enyce to our lineup.”

Liz Claiborne Inc. acquired Enyce back in 2003, but due to the poor economic issues and lack of sales – adding Diddy to the mix may bring about positive changes for the company.

During LA Fashion Week last week, actress/ex-model Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon revealed she will soon be releasing a jewelry line targeted at children:

“I have a jewelry line for kids and teenagers — or the young at heart,” she said, explaining that her collection will include charms hung from cords. “We have ballerinas. We have teddy bears. For boys we have cars and crowns,” she said. “So sort of fun and rock and roll, but still really cute pieces.” So why make the jump into jewelry design with her twins’ one year birthday just days away? “I wanted to do something creative even though I’m home as a mom. So this was something that I could sort of do, but still be with them.” SOURCE

Gotta love those hard working Mommies! With a price range from $40 to $300, Garcelle’s line is expected to release mid-November.

Halle Berry joins the list of celebs to bring on their own fragrances. The actress, who was recently voted the sexiest woman alive, premiered her perfume at an exclusive unveiling in New York recently:

“We call Halle my second baby,” she says, “because that’s really all I’ve been working on for the past two years.”…

And it’s a flavor she hopes men will appreciate as much as women. “I want women to feel that their partners, that special person thinks they smell beautiful, thinks that it’s simple enough that they can ingest it all day, every day. That’s what Gabriel said,” she adds, of her boyfriend Gabriel Aubry’s take on her signature scent. “He said it smells like that — he better be right!” read more

Halle By Halle Berry is due to be in stores by March 2009…

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