Black in style: Mariah Carey makes Christmas magic with her own holiday Barbie

In style this week, Mariah Carey on her new Barbie, House of Aama debuts at Nordstrom, Venus Williams’ style evolution and more..

Do you have any Mariah Carey fans on your gift lists this holiday season? 

The “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer just dropped a holiday-themed Barbie with Mattel — and new concert merchandise with Amazon. 

From her signature smirk to her honey blonde hair and butterfly ring — even down to the sparkly red dress from a music video for “All I Want for Christmas is You” — the 11.5-inch-tall plastic version Carey of is the spitting image of the songstress.  

Naturally, Carey was hands-on during the development process of her Barbie, telling People magazine she “had some notes” in the beginning. 

“But when I saw my doll, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cute.’ Because it’s based on the Christmas dress that I wear in the second ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ video, which was directed by Joseph Kahn,” she said. 

While the Barbie is extremely close to her likeness, Carey said there is one distinct difference. 

“They wouldn’t let the ‘V’ in the dress be quite as low as it is in the video,” she said. “But I understand because it’s a holiday and everything else.”

As it turns out, this doll is also the manifestation of something Carey always wanted for Christmas since she was a little girl growing up in Long Island, New York. She told People that while she didn’t have many toys growing up, she always wanted a superstar Barbie. 

“If I could go back and tell my little-girl self that one day I would have a Barbie made in my likeness, I would flip out,” she said. 

Carey’s holiday Barbie is a part of Mattel’s Signature Barbie collection and is available from select retailers, including Amazon’s special holiday shop devoted to the singer, starting at $146.

Also available at Amazon’s shop is exclusive merch for Carey’s “Merry Christmas One and All!” North American tour that includes T-shirts embossed with her face and tour dates, hoodies, a sherpa-lined denim jacket, knit caps, and more. 

Venus Williams’ style and shopping habits are still evolving

Fashion started on a “grassroots” level for Venus Williams. 

The tennis champion-turned-fashion designer and beauty entrepreneur opened up recently about her personal style and shopping habits for Fashionista.

“My mom ended up sewing my tennis skirts for my first professional tennis match,” Williams explained, speaking about where fashion started for her. “I still love it at that creation level. I studied fashion, and it was a great experience. It taught me so much about the garment, what that means, and how to create something that’s entirely you.”

Williams told the publication how understanding clothing construction has made her “a lot more picky” when shopping for clothes. 

“I look at the seam; I pull up the hem. I’m looking at it really closely and deciding where the value is. It’s not always about that. Sometimes, it’s just about the design. Other times, it is about the make,” she said. 

And other times, for Williams, it’s about “how you feel.” 

“Every couple of years, I create a mood board. Sometimes, I just feel like changing my style, so I’ll go on Pinterest and create a mood board like, ‘This is going to be the new me.’ Then, I go after it and start shopping in that direction,” she said. 

15 Percent Pledge launches the Sephora Beauty Grant

The Fifteen Percent Pledge is teaming up with Sephora to award one lucky Black beauty business owner $100,000 in grant money. Designed to help entrepreneurs “unlock the next level of growth and potential for their brand,” the Sephora Beauty Grant is a continuation of the beauty retailer’s alignment with the pledge’s mission to diversify industries. 

“We’re excited to see the beauty industry experiencing massive growth in expanding opportunities and client exposure to Black-owned brands, and we hope that this grant will help to further propel the next generation of Black beauty owners,” said Priya Venkatesh, Sephora’s global chief merchandising officer, per Business of Fashion. 

Applications are open now until December 18 on the 15 Percent Pledge website. Finalists will be notified in early January, and the winner will be announced at the Pledge’s annual gala on February 3.

House of Aama debuts at Nordstrom

Nordstrom has added another Black-owned brand to its fashion roster! This week, House of Aama celebrated its launch in the retailer’s online and in-person stores by hosting a special meet & greet/trunk show in New York City. Showcasing its Fall/Winter 2023 collection, the brand’s co-founders and mother-daughter duo Rebecca Henry and Akua Shabaka welcomed attendees. 

“We’re still floating from our @nordstromnyc collection launch for “Prelude: Aama Tales” FW2023,” the brand wrote in an Instagram caption. “It was so amazing to be able to commune with you all. As a storytelling brand, our personal relationships are so important for us. That is why it’s so special and meaningful to us anytime our community gets to be brought into the world of Aama.” 

As Henry mentioned in the post, House of Aama is a legacy brand that focuses on telling stories through fashion. With a focus on recounting the Black experience in America, the brand creates timeless designs featuring a variety of colors, textures and silhouettes to “evoke dialogue, social commentary and conversations around heritage, remembrance and shed light on nuanced histories.” 

Click here to explore House of Aama at Nordstrom

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