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It’s off to the races for the Kentucky Derby this weekend, and we’re just as excited for the parade of festive hats as we are for the actual race. If past is precedent, the stars are aligned to show up in creative takes on the southern belle headpiece, a tradition that’s believed to bring good luck. Check out a few of our favorites from years past in the gallery.
— Jennifer Merritt
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Mary J. Blige’s tour kicks off today! The R&B diva will stop at 16 towns across America, starting tonight in Virginia Beach—and she’s bringing R&B opening acts Melanie Fiona and D’Angelo with her. And Fiona is thrilled to join the roster: “Mary J. is the sweetest,” the 29-year-old Toronto native told InStyle.com at Russell Simmons’s Art for Life Gala earlier this summer. “Sometimes people think the industry comes with severe attitude and diva tactics, but Mary J. is so sweet and so real and so down to earth. It’s amazing.” And if you go, take a close look at Fiona’s outfits—she designs and styles all of them herself. “I try to be really innovative when it comes to fashion because I know what I like,” she said. “My personal style and my performances are very big parts of who I am, and I should be having fun all the time. I don’t get too caught up in what other people think.” That means you’ll see on a lot of variety on this tour. “I’m going to have three wardrobe changes,” she said. “And I think that everybody is going to get a little taste of all of my personalities, from the dramatic performance side to the very feminine side to my tomboy side.” Intriguing! Visit ticketmaster.com for the complete list of tour dates.
Plus, see all of our Mary J. Blige news!
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• Mary J. Blige Sells Out HSN
• Mary J.’s Perfume My Life Blossom
• Mary J.’s Christmas Ornament
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Hollywood headed to the racetrack this weekend for the 138th annual Kentucky Derby, and they brought their biggest and best hats with them! Once Upon a Time‘s Ginnifer Goodwin placed her bets in a wide-brimmed coral topper, while Mary J. Blige cheered on the jockeys wearing a red, rose-adorned fedora. See more celebrities who watched I’ll Have Another take first place in festive hats in the gallery.
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• The Most Outrageous Celebrity Hats
• Vineyard Vines’ Derby-Inspired Collection
• Betsey Johnson’s Charitable Barbie Hat
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Chelsea Handler and Mary J. Blige met up at last night’s Belvedere (RED) Pre-Grammy event at Hollywood’s Avalon nightclub, where Blige took the stage to raise money and awareness for the Global Fund and its efforts in Africa.”Hey Fam..Can’t wait to perform at the #BELVERED pre Grammys party on Thurs!” the singer tweeted before the event. See more stars at last night’s hottest events in the gallery!
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Kelly Clarkson took to Twitter to thank her duet partners Jennifer Hudson (in The Blonds) and Mary J. Blige after belting out tunes for the VH1 Divas Celebrate Soul concert at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. “Y’all girls can freaking SING!!!” Clarkson wrote. ”I am so lucky to have shared a stage.” See more stars at last weekend’s hottest events in the gallery!
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 Courtesy Photos |
Mary J. Blige’s fragrances are hot-potato items on HSN. After she broke records last year by selling over 60,000 bottles of her My Life perfume in six hours, the singer returned last week for another sell-out appearance. This time, she was there to promote her My Life Blossom holiday gift set and treat viewers to a live performance of songs from her new album, My Life II … The Journey Continues. (Her gift set sold out, all 20,000 of them.) “My Life Blossom represents where I am in my life right now,” Blige told InStyle.com after her latest HSN success. “It’s about being honest and transparent in your life. Life is beautiful when you are clear about who you are.” See more celebrity fragrances in the gallery now.
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• Holiday Gift Idea: Solid Perfumes
• Now on Sale: Twilight Immortal
• Katy Perry’s Meow Fragrance
 Getty Images; Courtesy Photo |
Mary J. Blige is following up her best-selling My Life perfume with the launch of My Life Blossom next week! The new scent contains bright floral notes of gardenia, mandarin, white freesia and orange flower, and will launch exclusively on HSN August 13th for $55 per bottle. For every purchase, one dollar will be donated to The Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, a charity founded by Mary J. Blige that offers women scholarships and grants. For more celebrity fragrances, check out InStyle’s handy A-Z Guide in the gallery below.
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• Jennifer Lopez’s HSN Scent
• Selena Gomez’s Fragrance
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New York City was the center of the party scene last night! Mary J. Blige, Halle Berry and Fergie took home awards at the Fragrance Foundation’s annual FiFi Awards, held at Lincoln Center. “I’m really proud of this honor,” said Berry, who was presented with the inaugural Elizabeth Taylor Celebrity Fragrance of the Year award for her Pure Orchid scent. “Elizabeth Taylor was an icon. I aspire to have a [brand] that would even compare to hers.” Also in the Big Apple, Hilary Duff kicked off Sobe’s “Try Everything” Challenge with a round of melon bowling, Whitney Port toasted the 125th anniversary of Coca-Cola, and leading ladies Rose Byrne and January Jones walked the red carpet at the premiere of X Men: First Class. Click See the Photos to see all the stars at last night’s hottest parties!
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