When I think about Spring and Summer, I think about being naked. Those excruciatingly brutal winters takes a toll on this here Floridian gal. After a season of depressing weather, I’m almost bursting for the opportunity to wear absolutely nothing at all. Which is why this denim jumpsuit trend baffles me. (Source 1, 2, 3)
Keeping in mind that the annual Met Gala’s [costume] theme for 2013 was Punk, I gave every look a second and third glance. I will say, I cannot hide my disappointment with what I saw at this event.
Worst Dressed:
Beyonce disappointed me YET AGAIN (but I’m not surprised because she actually can’t dress) with her Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon ensemble. Excuse me, Givenchy .
Kim Kardashian in a dreadful vintage 70′s floral custom made couch cover. Excuse me, Riccardo Tisci.
Regularly Dressed:
There were others that must not have read the invitation stating the theme because they were dressed way too cliché for my liking. Often the Queen of this is Kerry Washington. Her style is always hit or miss. And those Olivia Pope gloves did nothing for me.
Notice that I refuse to defile my blog by posting those bland creations? Ok.
In another life, I was a 1950s housewife. One who loved slim waist cut floral print dresses, had pumpkin pie scented hair and just a tiny bit of dirt under her nails from playing in the garden. I’ve lived this life for a long time in my head.
As part of my pledge to do 28 acts of random kindness, I found a community garden for weekend volunteer work.
Saturday
I volunteered at the Edgewood Community Garden with a group of high school students from a gifted program. One of the first youths I spoke with was Tasha. She attends the Carver School of the Arts and will be attending Spelman college after graduation. I was really impressed with her as well as the other students and what they were doing for the community.
We recognize her mainly for her role as Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Unfortunately, I’ve never been a fan of the films but I have always been enamored by Emma Watson. From the moment I set eyes on her short pixie cut, I was in love.
Although she has darling young face, she manages to wow us in the most modest of clothing. She’s the girl that I imagine guys doing a “double take” for. She’s a bit of a surprise and an understated elegant young lady. She is not attempting to be categorized. It just is. And I don’t know WTF it is but it’s just different.
She reminds me of a young Victoria Beckham
What I love about her style:
1. It is very carefree and easy-breezy.
Okay so I only found out what Final Four was about a week ago. And no, I didn’t attend any of the free concerts. They weren’t worth the traffic that I knew I’d have to face downtown.
Friday
My good friend Christopher was visiting for the weekend. I suggested we have dinner at a popular Ethiopian restaurant called Desta. Neither of us had ever been but we’ve heard great reviews. Let me tell you, it is all the hype. I ordered the Fish tibs with collards and cabbage. Very friendly wait staff and super yummy food. I seriously need to go back once a month.
While I am in love with bright and bold colors, I am equally as obsessed with the cut and dryness of black and white. For me, it’s much more than just wearing the colors. It’s about mixing and matching patterns and creating and/or designing a visually interesting piece.
Black and white are classic and effortlessly beautiful colors.
I love love love how Solange Knowles paired a horizontal striped shirt with a vertical striped pant. Solo does no wrong in my eyes.
If you didn’t know, Lauren Conrad is not just a hit reality TV sensation. She has made quite a name for herself as a fashion designer (LC Lauren Conrad and Paper Crown), author and beauty blogger. I have the biggest crush on this girl and her work ethic!
The LC Lauren Conrad line is sold in Kohl’s stores throughout the U.S. I’m loving the delicate look of this line. The subtle colors, shear and girly material all scream Spring time.
I definitely love the Paper Crown line more than the Kohl’s one. It’s more mature and my style. There’s lots and lots of blush, navy and prints.
Although I think each fashion line is geared to different women, I love that I can still see Lauren’s personal style within both of them. LC definitely knows how to stay in her lane. She continuously produces simple, yet great items.
Here are a few of my favorites:
LC Lauren Conrad for Kohl’s
In another place and time, I was a dancer. Specifically, a ballerina. Last Sunday, I got the chance to be an African dancer extraordinaire! From my seat, anyway.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I never did my research on Fela Kuti before going to see the show. I knew of him and of his music but not much about his story. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti: a Nigerian musician, composer, activist and revolutionary. Fela! the musical tells the story of Kuti in the 1970s, at the height of his career and also his contempt for Nigeria’s corrupt government. I can imagine him thinking to himself, “man, I just want to make music that incites political unrest, smoke weed, and make love to my many wives”. Lol. Kuti was a rebel with a cause and a message in his music.
My first time seeing this lovely actress was in the movie Remember the Titans. She was stunning to me. High cheekbones, perfect skin and beautiful hazel AND blue eyes (due to heterochromia iridum). And a smize (smile with your eyes) to DIE for. I’m sure she’s a great actress but I’m really only here for her style. For lack of a better description, Kate Bosworth’s style is what I call a beautiful mess.
1. It’s CAREFREE. She’s not the “I wore this once and can never wear it again” type of girl. She probably wakes up, picks something off the floor that she wore the day before, slips on some boots, jacket and hat and calls it a day.
2. It’s unconventional. I often describe my style as something that doesn’t make sense but works, on me. It’s the same with Bosworth. I’m sure a lot of things she wears would look like a hot mess on someone else.
3. It’s old school. I mean, she still rocks spaghetti straps and halters for goodness sake. Weird, but it looks good on her.
4. It’s sexy. Don’t sleep on my girl. She cleans up nicely.
5. It’s tasteful revealing. She bares her arms ALL THE TIME. Coming from an extra petite girl who hates doing that, it’s a big deal.
6. It’s simple. She never does too much. Ironically, Bosworth has a jewelry line called JewelMint, but you won’t catch her overdoing it. Minimalist fashion at its best.
7. Because I just love both outfits…
I think Bosworth understands personal style. And if you follow her paparazzi photos long enough, her style won’t need explanation. It’s not about labels, it’s not about trends, it’s about what YOU like. It’s Bosworth’s quiet confidence that makes everything she wears amazingly beautiful.
I got the opportunity to sit in on a photo shoot with Kandi Burruss over the weekend. This was pretty exciting for me. I even tried to come up with a plan to ask her a few questions about her clothing store in Atlanta but I didn’t push it, lol. Of all the Atlanta “housewives”, Kandi is the most successful to me.
I don’t know much about Kandi but I do have a few things that I admire about her when it comes to success. Even before the show, she wore many hats. She is a singer-songwriter, producer, business owner and TV personality. I respect anyone that has a relentless drive and work ethic.
I’ve never been one to ruthlessly go after what I really wanted. Fear and doubt have always crippled me from trying. I do realize that not asking and not doing will keep me in the same stagnant situation. Taking risks has never been my strong suit. There’s something weird to me about approaching a random person about an opportunity. I suppose that’s how you get ahead but it’s a lesson that I’m still learning.
I was having a conversation with my friend Ben that eventually became a discussion about my blog. I know I say this a lot but I am still genuinely surprised when people tell me they read it. Seriously! Anyway. A lot of what he said to me was about doing the work and taking the risks. Basically, things that make me nervous.
“Can’t get a huge win from a small bet.” Benjamin Styles
What I see with Kandi is that she isn’t afraid to try something. I mean, she has a sex toy line AND a gospel song out at the same time. If that isn’t risky, I don’t know what is. A successful person can’t be afraid to think and act big. And if what you’ve tried doesn’t work, then you have the tools and experience to make positive changes the next go around.
I think we all have the tools in order to be winners. Remind yourself why you want what you want and adamantly pursue it as if your life depended on it.
