Queen Latifah for HSN: Hair Extensions & Clothing that are "So Fly"

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• Queen Latifah
• Those extensions...

When HSN invited us to an intimate soiree to meet Queen Latifah and discuss the Queen Collection, her upcoming line of apparel and hair extensions, of course we had to say yes. One does not say no to the Queen. Particularly since Latifah always presents herself stylishly and elegantly, despite not being a Hollywood size two. So we wondered how that would translate to a HSN fashion line. Would the clothing be slimming? Would the handbags be stylish? Would the—oh hell, who are we kidding? We wanted to check out the hair extensions.

So let's start with that, and we'll get to the clothing in a minute. Although there were no sample extensions on display in the room, as they don't debut on the network until September, Queen Latifah was wearing some in her own hair and they looked amazing. Seriously. We're shocked how good they looked. We wish we could get our own long hair looking that sleek and smooth.

Queen Latifah explained that many of her friends wear extensions, but not all of them can afford quality ones. So her goal was, "To bring the quality hair that I get to the masses." The extensions will be made from real hair from India and will come in ten inch pieces, in wavy and straight styles, available to clip on or weave in. When we asked if they'd been priced yet, Latifah responded, "No, not yet, just get it ready..." and rubbed her fingers together to indicate they probably wouldn't come cheap.

The apparel line of the Queen Collection, however, is extremely reasonable. Most items—jeans, tops, ponchos, leggings, scarves and wraps—are under $100, with the most expensive pieces, leather and suede jackets and purses, under $300. Colors tend to be dark with some bright accent pieces and their lines tend to be simple. Sizes will range from 4 to 24 and XS to 3X. Although the initial collection debuts in August, some of Latifah's favorite pieces won't be made available until her HSN appearances in September and November, including a cashmere-like sweat suit, which she described as, "Comfortable and so fly."

Latifah says her goal with the line is to be able to provide women, "With everything that I have. If I'm wearing the jeans, you'll get the jeans. If I'm wearing the sweater, you get the sweater." We'd like an Oscar nomination like hers, but we're guessing that's not an option.

Queen Latifah and HSN describe the Queen Collection as a "Lifestyle brand," which will eventually include all types of items, including the music of artists she likes. Although in the past, many companies had approached her about doing a clothing line, Latifah said she chose HSN because she felt they were simpatico: "We respect our consumer. We don't just look at them as a dollar sign, we look at them as human beings who care what they wear." We don't know about that, but as we said, those hair extensions looked awesome.
· HSN [Official Site]