Ustyleu fall by uStyleu Mag

September/October 2014 ISSUE $5.99 ONLINE/DIGITAL

Celebrate New Talent

D. Lylez

Vanessa Bell

Calloway

A Lesson on Acting Out

Popular Grocery Chain doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like our hair

Chi Entertains

Taste of Chicago Ravinia Festival

USTYLEU MAG Volume 4 Number 3

Editor-In-Chief Chloe Graham Creative Casting Director Yvette Bouye Roberson Entertainment Editor Erika Bracey Entertainment Correspondent Timothy Newson Copy Editor/Writer Hannah McEwen Style Consultant Patrick Niles Marketing Specialist Brianna Towers Creative Assistant Danielle Morgan Advisors Maudlyne Ihejirika Jodie Blum Media Consultants Big Red Head Ideas Debbie McEwen

From the Editor It’s another anniversary issue, and I’m so grateful to those who have always supported USTYLEU Magazine.

hen we first started out in 2011, our plans were to distribute on a digital platform only, however the demand for a “real” copy was so great, we began to offer USTYLEU as a hard copy issue. Professional advisors originally told us everyone was moving to the digital format, however the demand for hard copies has increased over digital in 2013-2014 which proves a lot of folks still want that copy in their hands. Regardless of the preference, we love our subscribers and thank you for your continued support. I want to also thank the incredible USTYLEU staff for another successful year. You are probably saying, “Why is Chloe on the cover? She’s not Oprah!” As always, I try to be as transparent as possible, so I featured myself in this issue to share an appalling experience I am dealing with involving a popular grocery store in the Chicago area. I hope my experience will help others stand up for the rights that others are naturally granted without a fight.

On the cover

@ustyleumag

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Robb Jackson Erika Bracey www.soulcafe.net

STYLIST: Patrick Niles www.patrickniles.com

MAKE UP: Gabrielle Post gabriellepost@hotmail.com

ACCESSORIES: Danielle Morgan 708.969.0089

uStyleu 2014

Table of Contents: 4

In This Issue

Maxwell @ RAVINIA

NICK on STYLE

Fall

10 VANESSA BELL CALLOWAY 12 AMBROSE MADE IN NY 14 THEIR DIRTY LITTLE SECRET 20

TASTE OF CHICAGO

SUMMER ‘71

ON THE RISE: D LYLEZ

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

IN THIS ISSUE Patrick Niles

Patrick Niles is a Chicago based Fashion Stylist, specializing in transforming Men’s and Women’s wardrobes’ from drab to luxurious. Patrick is also the Style Consultant for USTYLEU Magazine. His work is featured on the cover and cover spreads of this issue. Contact Patrick to transform not only your closet, but your lifestyle and the way you see yourself and you in your fashion at 312.477.9022, www.patrickniles.com

Danielle Morgan

Danielle Morgan is the Owner of Da Boutique Couture and House of Consignment. Da Boutique specializes in Da Latest Collection of Designer’s Custom made and Vintage Women’s Jewelry and Fashion. Danielle caters to women of all varieties bringing a creative artistic enhancement to transform inner beauty into reality. Danielle is also the Creative Assistant for USTYLEU Magazine. Her work is featured on the cover and cover spreads in this issue. Contact Danielle at 708.969.0089

Gabrielle Post

Gabrielle Post began her career at Trend Setters Paul Mitchell College of Cosmetology where she was trained by many top celebrity stylists including Winn Claybaugh, George Morales, John Paul Dejoreo, Angus Mitchell and Robert Cromeans. She has successfully completed many Master Classes including, Beauty, Bridal, Stage, Film and Print Make-up. Gabrielle’s work is featured on the cover and inside cover spreads of this issue. Contact Gabrielle at 708.268.6897, gabriellepost@hotmail.com, Facebook: Gabrielle Post Image Consultant.

Robb Jackson

More than just a photographer, Robb Jackson is and has been a “visualographer” for well over a decade. His vision, creativity, and insight have always allowed him to see not only the “real” that’s in front of him, but also things that are deeper, and futuristically, things to come. This same overall sense of clarity allowed for his introduction into “the industry,” as well as being able to remain a positive, creative force in it for so long. Rob Partnered with Erika Bracey to create the beautiful cover and cover spreads in this issue. Contact Robb at robb@soulcafe.net

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

A Lesson on Acting Out The movie and television actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, who is best known for her roles in What’s Love Got to Do with It and Coming to America, offers her valuable advice on what it takes to break into the acting business. USTYLEU Mag: What is your secret to longevity and staying power?

USTYLEU Mag: Tell us about the Iconic role in the hit movie Coming to America:

Vanessa Bell Calloway: You have to study. I studied continuously, even after I graduated with a bachelor’s degree of fine arts. When I’m not in front of the camera doing a movie or a TV show, I find a play to do to keep my instruments sharp. Even with all of my experience, I still work with an acting coach for big roles. You never stop studying.

Vanessa Bell Calloway: I originally auditioned for the lead female role. Knowing that I needed longer hair, I went out and bought a cute curly $30 Michael Weeks “Amani” wig. After auditioning, the casting director said, “I like your hair!” She didn’t say anything about my acting, but she just liked my hair. I get a call back to meet the director John Landis, and I wore the same wig because in this business, you use whatever worked the last time. I finished reading for the lead female role for John Landis, and what does he say? “I like your hair. Your hair is great,” and again, nothing about my acting. I’m thinking, here we go again with this $30 wig! Then he says to me, there’s this other part of the princess I want you to read for. I’m thinking, “I don’t want to read for the princess,” but of course, you couldn’t tell John Landis “No.” I didn’t know what an African princess was supposed to sound like, so I had to think on my feet. I made up an accent for the now popular catch phrase “Whatever you like,” and John Landis loved it. I get a call back to read with Eddie Murphy, and at the end of that reading, what do they all say? “I like your hair. Your hair is great.” I get the job, and hair stylist, Robert Stevenson, brings in these two wigs that I had to wear for the part. I remember thinking, “This is interesting,” I wore a $30 wig named Amani and ended up wearing two wigs to play the role as Princess Amani. It was all about that wig!

USTYLEU Mag: What was the big break in your career? Vanessa Bell Calloway: All My Children was a huge opportunity for me. That show put me on the map and gave me a canvas to act on a regular basis as a character and as part of a unit. I learned that you can never rest on your laurels and say, “Well I got it,” because you have to be prepared to find that next gig. For example, I found out I was getting written off the show when I got the script with no prior warning. That is when I made the decision to move to Los Angeles. USTYLEU Mag: Right after that you moved to Los Angeles. Was that a good move for you? Vanessa Bell Calloway: Absolutely! I had been in New York for a while and was getting auditions for many feature films. I was always told I was really good but, then they would go to Hollywood and cast the role. When I arrived in L.A., I began to work immediately landing roles in Days of our Lives, night time TV and movies. I acquired my work ethics from being in New York, so I got out there and hustled. Back then, we didn’t have the technology of today. I sent out hundreds of photos via U.S. Mail like nobody’s business. It was a serious business for me, and I approached it that way.

knew I had to make a huge impact with that little part. You have to make a big impression in whatever role you play in. USTYLEU Mag: What are you working on now? Vanessa Bell Calloway: The last three years, I’ve been doing my One Woman Show in Los Angeles entitled, “Letters from Zora.” It’s a play about writer, Zora Neale Hurston. We played at the Pasadena Playhouse to sold-out shows and outstanding reviews, and in October, we are opening the Fall season at the Crossroads Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. You can check out my web site www.vanessabellcalloway.com. You can also catch up on my web series “In the Company of Friends” and my blog talk radio show, “That’s So Very Vanessa” at www.InTheCompanyOfFriends.tv. USTYLEU Mag: What last piece of advice can you offer our readers?

USTYLEU Mag: Everyone remembers your small part as Princess Armani more than the lead role. You took that small role and made it iconic.

Vanessa Bell Calloway: You have to stay ready to be ready. I tell people to look at themselves. Do you like what you see? Do you like your hair? Do you like your teeth? Things happen so quickly in this business, and if your teeth are jacked up now, they are going to be jacked up in the morning. If you are not happy with your size, now you are going to be the same size in the morning. A good example is the show Hawthorne with Jada Pinkett Smith. I had just had a full mastectomy, however, my hair, nails, skin, everything was on point. I received a one-day notice to read for the part on Thursday and had to report on the set on Friday. I never have to get ready because I always stay ready.

Vanessa Bell Calloway: At the time, I was not happy that I didn’t get the lead part, but I

USTYLEU Mag: Thank you so much Vanessa. It was such a pleasure to talk to you! September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

Popular Grocery Chain doesn’t like our hair

n place of throwing myself a good old “pity party” when faced with challenging situations, I measure myself alongside other people I know who have tackled and conquered far more challenging issues in their lives. My objective is to walk away with renewed wisdom and strength as my consolation prizes in order to share my experiences with my readers. This brings me to this jacked up story. I began my day like any other day in the bakery at Marianos Fresh Market when one of the assistant store managers pulled me to the side and told me I needed to get a hairnet. I’m thinking, ‘Cool. About time!’ I never understood why we were working around all of this food without hairnets. I went to the front desk and proudly requested my company-issued hairnet. “We don’t provide hairnets because we don’t wear hairnets here,” replied the confused front desk attendant. I went back to my station in perplexity and reported that the front desk said the store does not provide hairnets because hairnets were not a requirement. That’s when I realized I was the only person running

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

around the store looking for a hairnet. ‘Why?’ I thought to myself. ‘I just know they are not going there, because my little “Afro Puff” is “Fly”,’ I thought. For goodness sake, all of the hair I have swept from the floor was straight hair. My baby soft coils were intact. I love my hair straight, and I love my hair in its natural/ kinky/coils/nappy — call it what you want — state. So I was baffled, and I must say, a little amused by management making such a big deal out of my hair. I wore my hair brushed tightly into a rubber band, so that no hair could fall out from under the visor we were required to wear. The other girls in the bakery, on the other hand, had bangs hanging over their visors, or hair loosely tied into ponytails, or simply falling in the back. So why just me? 2/14/2014 - I decided to pose the question. Me: Why am I being singled out about my hair? Assistant Manager: It’s puffy. Me: Kinky? Assistant Manager: Yes. Puffy. I don’t

have a problem with it. I tried to defend you, but they won’t leave it alone. Me: So, OK. Everyone’s hair needs to be in hairnets. But who are ‘they’ anyway? Assistant Manager: The store manager. Me: Is that why he was pointing at me aggressively? Assistant Manager: Yes, he was talking about your hair. You are going to have to wear a hairnet. Me: We are ALL wearing a hairnet if I have to wear one. Let me be clear. My opinion regarding hairnets around food is that it’s a completely appropriate requirement. I actually agree with said policy 100 percent. But what I do NOT agree with, is singling out one person with said policy, while others are allowed to freely wear their personal hairstyles without having to conform to any such requirement. That’s called discrimination. 3/3/14 – Inspection Day Well, then came inspection day. And I thought to myself, ‘The inspectors are here today. Why would they even schedule me to work this day if they have a problem with my hair?’ But I go about doing my work,

Photographers: Robb Jackson and Erika Bracey Make Up: Gabrielle Post Style Consultant: Patrick Niles Accessories: Danielle Morgan

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

Hide ..in the bathroom or go to the back of the store until the health inspectors were gone. “What?!?” continued from pg 16 and praying for no more hair drama, when my supervisor approaches me. She tells me to go into ‘Aisle 1’ and find a hairnet. And I did. I went into Aisle 1 to look for a hairnet just for the sake of saying I had looked. Then I called up my wise mother, and she said, “Do you want me to come up there… cause…” ‘No Mom,’ I said, ‘I just need some advice. Should I wear this hairnet?’ She said, ‘Yes. I want you to be the only person in that bakery wearing and required to wear a hairnet.” Here’s the thing. I feel great about who I am. I love my hair. I love me…blah blah blah…..But at that moment, I thought about all the other young people who may not have the options that I have. This was a temporary, part-time college job for me. It was supposed to be a no-brainer job so that I could quietly do my work, then go back to my room to study and continue to run my magazine business. But back to Inspection Day. Are you sitting down? Please find a chair, because what transpired next is going to knock you right out of your seat. I returned to my supervisor after searching for this hairnet and reported back: “No hairnets.” You know what my supervisor said? She told me to go hide in the bathroom or go into the back of the store until the health inspectors were gone. 18

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

“What?!?” I thought to myself. What does My hair have to do with the health inspectors? I went to the bathroom for the record, then went to the front of the store and made a few phone calls to get this whole ordeal documented properly. I returned to the bakery, not really caring whether or not the inspectors were still there. When I arrived, the inspection was over. My supervisor thanked me for my cooperation. I responded that I did not think her handling of this situation was at all appropriate, and that I felt discriminated against because of my hair. I asked my supervisor what makes my hair different from all the other girls. And why, I asked, would the inspector react more adversely to my hair than to the other girls’ hairstyles which were falling over their visor and below their necklines? Her response? She was not prejudice, and she had dated a black man before. How embarrassed I was for her at that moment. What did her dating habits have to do with me and my coils? My supervisor then looked at another worker for support, and that worker said, “Yep! And he was fine, too!” Lord have mercy and howdy do. I’ve read about this crap in the history books, but I thought people had become smarter in the 2000s. That’s when my supervisor then told me that she was going to go out to buy me some black hairnets. At that point, I turned

around and said, “Oh thank-you. I just need one thing from the store manager. Put the request in writing.” After a few cricket chirps and several pin drops, her reply was, “That will never happen.” I didn’t think so. After I asked to get their request in writing, I was never asked to wear a hairnet again until the Human Resources director arranged a meeting with me on August 3, 2014. He said he didn’t understand why I didn’t want to wear the hairnet. I stated I never refused to wear the hairnet. I said I would only wear a hairnet when everyone else was required to where one. He concluded the meeting stating that I have to wear the hairnet. I called my union rep, and she told me I was not required to wear a hairnet. She said if they asked me again to put the hairnet and to call her. I am in the process of filing a formal complaint to the corporation office Roundy’s. They have to be aware of how their local stores are treating their employees and perhaps implement diversity and EEOC Compliance Training to avoid workplace bullying and misconduct. It was wrong to degrade me based on their narrow perceptions or exposure to a diverse group of people. I couldn’t help but to think that maybe the unfortunate series of circumstances were meant to happen to me. Of all of the little natural girls in the Chicagoland area to single out, the management of this huge and popular grocery chain chose the girl with the magazine whose tagline and entire platform is “BE U”-- Be proud of who you are. They chose the girl who has toured throughout the Midwest to speak to teens about bullying, self-confidence and respect for self and others. They chose the girl who would speak up, but not go “completely off” to allow events play out entirely and completely. This happened to me because I could speak for countless people who have experienced this type of unfair judgment but had to keep it a dirty little secret because of fear of losing their jobs or retaliation. I have no fear and feel no sense of intimidation for standing against humiliation and degradation. They chose the right one.

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

f o e t s a t cago i h c S

ince 1980, the city’s magnificent lake front has been home to the largest premier outdoor food festival in the world. Each year, Taste of Chicago showcases Chicago’s diverse and expansive dining community, and this year was no different. The July 9, festival descended on Grant Park for five days with live music, food trucks and restaurant pop-ups. In all, 66 restaurants and food trucks participated, including 22 newcomers like notable vendors Bridgeport Pasty, Harold’s Chicken, Lawrence’s Fisheries, M Burger, The Savoy and Big Cheese Poutinerie. Are you ready for Janelle Monae! For those that wanted to see performers jam, The Taste did not disappoint, offering a sundry of entertainment to gratify any musical flavor. Exciting, energizing, and bold are a few words that only begin to describe the Janelle Monae concert. In her classic style to stun the audience, she was wheeled out in a straitjacket that couldn’t hold her for long. She opened with her number one smashes “Givin Em What They Love,” “Dance Apocalyptic,” and “Victory” from her third and most recent album, “The Electric Lady.” One of the main highlights of the night was the performance of James Brown’s “I Feel Good, and the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and “I Want You Back,” where she amiably undertook their signature dance moves, splits and all. Janelle proved over and over again that she is definitely one of the most entertaining, allencompassing performers today.

Photo by Hannah McEwen 20

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

n e w E h Mc

a n n a By H

Photo by Hannah McEwen Sing It Gary! Before Janelle hit the stage, Gary Clark Jr. from Austin, Texas performed his highly acclaimed song “Please Come Home” from his debut album “Black and Blu.” He sampled the Jackson 5 to bring a new element to blues music. Nonetheless a great concert needs an awesome opening act. This year, Taste of Chicago featured a little bit country, a little bit rock-and-roll with a little blues sprinkled in to create a whole lot of what Chicago loves…heart and soul.

Photo by City of Chicago

Photo by City of Chicago September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com

On The

Rise with D. Lylez

orn and bred on Chicago’s south side, Darious Lyles, also known as “D. Lylez,” began singing at age nine after listening to R&B group Dru Hill and crooner Usher. Although his current artistic influences include contemporaries like Neyo, Chris Brown and Trey Songz, he credits his music style and delivery to his musical idol, Motown artist, Marvin Gaye. According to Lylez, “Marvin Gaye had this ability to bring all of his emotions into a song and become one with the record.” D. Lylez’s style and vocal delivery derive from a mixture of soul infused with a rap tone that makes him a well-rounded vocalist in the industry today. D. Lylez has overcome family and identity crisis by learning to be patient and by keeping God first in his life which empowered him to emerge as a stronger artist. This personal development led him to audition for Season 9 of American Idol where he had the chance to work with people behind the scenes who paved the way for industry connections. He also worked with celebrities like Marla Gibbs, from TV shows The Jefferson’s and 227; Ellis Foster of the movie Hoodlum and television show, Prison Break, and Treach from hip hop group Naughty by Nature, while acting in small stage play productions. Working with these celebrities motivated Lylez even more to further pursue his musical endeavors.

along with Jamie Mcgrone and Chris Kelly known as the “Studio Geeks.” “I plan on bringing the meaning and sound of Love back to the industry.” “Good music comes along way if you work hard enough,” Lyles says. Lylez new credits and projects include Lil Duval, Syleena Johnson , Trae Tha Truth , Nena , Mary J. Blidge, Romiti and he manages to work on his own music projects in between. According to Lylez, “Chicago has so much talent within its city, and he hopes put Chicago back on the map musically the right way.”

The young R&B star has been featured on Chicago’s major radio stations, Power 92.3 and WGCI where his singles “Special Kinda Girl” and “Killin’ Sheets” have been played. Currently he’s a contributing singer and songwriter for Chicago based production company, His and Herzz Ink, headed by his cousin RoShawn Lyles, former member of male R&B group “Kwiet Storm. D. Lylez was recently recruited to participate in a new reality TV show that was pitched to FUSE TV (Viacom) called the “The Writerz Rumble” where up-and coming artists were chosen from several major cities to compete on different musical projects that could possibly lead to a major placement deal. During his hot pursuit in the music industry, his musical ability also gained the attention of Shanell Red who has credits with Destiny’s Child , Trey Songz and Mary J. Blidge. Red signed D. Lylez as a writer

September 2014 Issue | uStyleu.com