6.30.2010

i dig solange.

check out her interview with refinery29.com. then tell me if she's not someone you would want to know. i said before that her style is innate. and i've always appreciated a certain love me or leave me type steeze. comfortable in her own skin and easy and breezy, she epitomizes "it is what it is." and she always seems as though she's having a damn good time. agree?

"... i'm all about the shoes! i order a ton of them online and
play with my entire wardrobe until i find the right shoe. unfortunately,
so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. the shoe is very
important. i can't even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking."
-solange, as told to refinery29

christian louboutins. ooo-la-la.

her steeze: camille from peaceimages.

dope. flyy. that's just 2 of the words of endearment that came to mind when i found camille's peaceimages jewelry site. i mean, check it:

brass africa ring, hand-wrapped in various fabrics, $39.50

the hotness. i knew you'd agree. there's more where that came from and i wasn't going to keep all the heat to myself. peep her steeze:

who?
camille is a double pisces - libra, afro-havin' sun baby from cali!

how long have you been designing jewelry?
i started designing jewelry 2 years ago after i suddenly felt empowered to fix my broken baubles that were collecting dust in my jewelry box. after spending a few bucks on tools, i had completely resuscitated my entire accessory collection. i took parts off of some things, added them to others, and my destiny was staring me in the face. why can't i create for others?

what inspires you/your collection?
i am inspired by nature; the seeds, the fruit, the colors, the textures, the life! erykah badu most inspires me to incorporate everything into my art. my flaws, my ignorance, my humility, my imagination, my beliefs, my experiences. that's just what her music is... and we all love and admire her FOR it. i'm inspired by struggle; the struggle of being a woman.. a Black woman; the struggles my people have experienced for centuries. when people wear my jewelry, i want them to feel like it's telling a story of something they've experienced..

i also try to create jewelry that transcends trends. i want you to still rock my things for years to come, and maybe even pass them onto your babies!


if you could have a glass of wine with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
wow.. that's tough to narrow down. i would have a glass of wine with frida kahlo. she endured so much pain in her lifetime; a cheating husband, failing health, miscarriage... and still, she had this amazing wit and ability to light up a room! she took her pain from her soul, put it in her hands, and was able to paint it. it prevented her pain from running her. that type of perspective, one can only pray for! she was a very strong person.

your stranded on an island with only 3 items. what are they?
waterproof matches, my dog, and a knife. lol..

future plans?
live a comfortable life where my future kids and husband have medical care, growing my own food, traveling the world on a modest budget, continuing to enjoy the freedom of working for myself.

my favorite style icon?
badu. definitely. she made it cool to rock a headwrap on the red carpet with a gown. she is amazing. one day she's in 5" ysl pumps and an a-line dress, the next, a simple tube dress, with huge pieces of jewelry as the focus, and an afro wig. she knows no limits. she plays with different hairstyles and colors, and allows her inner beauty to shine. what she wears complements her beauty. she always seems so free in what she wears. never uncomfortable. style is defined by you ...

my style can be described as?
i never used to think i had style. it was never really something i thought about. i guess it's something you develop over time.
i like to feel stylish, sexy and comfortable all at once; i feel most empowered when i can find the balance between affordable, chic and comfy :)
i like to blend my relaxed, tropical cali roots with the fashion-forward style you experience in big cities like ny, chi, or la. i shop at thrift stores and marshall's a lot, and i try to purchase things that won't ever go out of style.

you open up your favorite magazine and are stoked to find ____ rocking your pieces ...
badu! it'll happen. mark my words :)

no doubt sis. dig your energy.
shop camille's site here, check out her blogspot and tumblr here and here, tweet her here.


moody nail polish.

remember mood rings? they'd change colors depending on your mood. well perfect formula will be launching mood nail polish. same concept. your body heat triggers the different colors. that's pretty hot.
it's supposed to launch some time this month. i checked the site, nothing as of yet, but keep checking in.

source


6.29.2010

dominique auxilly: the designer.

dominique auxilly's designs pretty much speak for themselves. back in my social networking days, she was my myspace friend. so when i peeped the pictures of dawn from dirty money's photoshoot for ghubar magazine, i was impressed. not only does dawn look fabulous, auxilly tweeted that dawn is donning one of auxilly's very own designs. peep it:

kinda hot, right? google "dawn richards ghubar" for the rest of the photos.

and check out auxilly's site. she has a few cute looks on there, like a hot lil' golden yellow cocktail mini dress that is super-cute.


it would be remiss not to tell you.

... that the nina simone pandora station is in-cre-dible. i've been listening all morning. mr. dj and i are not on the same page today so pandora it is. don't sleep.

nina

billie

nancy

aretha

ella

etta

sarah

and ray charles, louis armstrong, blossom dearie, madeleine peyroux ... i'm loving it.

to do list.

# 13. take a photography class at a local community college. then i can take my fancy schmancy camera (canon rebel xsi that i love, love, love) and not only look like i know what i'm doing. but actually know what i'm doing.



# 14. take a photoshop class at a local community college. so i can do some awesome vintage effects on my flix, kinda like this:

or this:

or this:

yeh, i'd say it's about time to sharpen those creative skills.

little top on the prairie.

guess by marciano, $98, marciano.com



6.28.2010

gasoline glamour.

so after eva sported these hot things at last night's bet awards, i had to find out a little more about gasoline glamour:


like i need these. like today. can someone loan me $3,000? that's all they cost.
check out the rest of their shoes, jewelry and accessories here.


bet awards 2010 - please pass me a pillow.

ok, in all fairness i am completely aware that it may just be me. the awards just really didn't excite me. don't get me wrong. i wouldn't have missed them. and i watched (i.e. left it on) from start to finish. had i been on facebook, my status updates would have been something like this ...

-so, i used the performances as my bathroom breaks. they weren't horrible just not that entertaining. kanye is the truth. the song is hot. the performance, just a'ight. loved the energy of the diddy dirty money performance with rick ross and ti. oh yeh and nicki minaj (aka wilma flintstone) who was unknowingly hidden behind the smoke for half of her performance.



-jada's a hot momma. her frame has got me drawing out a fitness plan to-day!

-why didn't usher just sing OMG?

-nia long is gorgeous. so is larenz. the love jones reference was cute. and they really would make a cute couple.

-where was the freestyle cipher?! that was the highlight of the awards.

-nice to see keyshia cole! loved her throwback hairstyle - short front and side bangs and long back.


-love monica. wings and all. so glad she didn't fly away. A+ for bringing out deniece williams to sing silly. glad ms. williams made it through the notes of the song. no disrespect, m'am.

-not a fan of chris brown but he did a damn good mj tribute. damn good. was it about him or mj, though?

- el debarge! enjoyed his throwback performance. he looked pretty good too since the last time i saw him.

-prince! love him. he's oh so cool. why did they do him like that though? his greatness deserves a better tribute than they pulled together. where was maxwell? or the rest of the old school greats. that sucked, quite frankly. but he did seem truly honored.

well that's it. oh, the pictures. right. i need to add some pix, huh? ok. give me a few minutes. i'll peruse the other blogs and see if i can find any worthy of cutting and pasting. [updated: pix added]

more:

i will do a 360 degree turn into a drop kick then fall with it (rickey smiley - lol) and jack eva for those gasoline glamour shoes. my, my, my, those things are precious. don't worry. i'm gonna do a separate post on them with a better view.


why do folks hate debra lee's oscar de la renta gown? i think it is quite lovely.

cassie rocked charlotte ronson and givenchy. hot look. and sui generis.

ciara wore a balmain dress with giuseppe zanotti lace up cuff boots. i know her feet were hot.





liked brandy's look. those shoes! sergio rossi crystal cage booties (available at neiman marcus)


size matters.

do you know your measurements? you should. last week i was ordering a bathing suit from an online shop that i'd never shopped at before. i'm typically an 8 but wasn't sure if their 8 was a normal 8, a small 8 or a big 8. so i took my measurements and added a note in my phone so i wouldn't forget.

use this handy dandy measurement guide to help you determine your numbers.

the most common measurements are bust, waist, & hips. pick up a measuring tape (you can get one pretty cheap at a fabric store), make sure the tape remains flat and measure (snug but not tight) as follows:

bust – measure around the fullest part of your bust while wearing a bra
waist – measure the narrowest part of your waist (a little above your belly button)
hips – measure the fullest part of your hips

you can also measure some of your best fitting clothes to get a sense of your appropriate measurements.

i'm crushing.

travis mccoy, gym class heroes
(and nope, didn't know who the heck he was prior to billionaire - that jawn's hot)


6.26.2010

vintage music saturday: strokin'.

i be strokin' ... that's what i be doing. lol. let me find out that clarence carter is a stone cold freak. i mean not that blind people can't get down too but i'm just saying.

i first heard a snippet of this song years ago on one of those time life type of commercials. they were selling a double cd of old songs and strokin' was one of the songs. i heard it and immediately told my mom that she can never talk about the music of our day ever again. because if mr. strokin' it to the east and strokin' it to the west wasn't overtly salacious i didn't know what was.

actually strokin' wasn't as old as i originally thought. if i'm not mistaken, it was released in the 80s. do me a favor and google the lyrics and read them from top to bottom. guarantee you will be cracking up. i mean it's like someone's grandpa telling you about his sex life. hi-la-rious.

click the music player at the bottom of the screen to mute the background music ... just do it.

6.25.2010

has it really been a year?

older folks know where they were when mlk and kennedy were assassinated. we know where we were when pac, big and mj passed. i was with my mom on my way to pier 1 imports to do shopping for the wedding when i heard about mj. the radio was playing all his music and then the dj announced that he had been rushed to the hospital. it was surreal. you couldn't find a fb status that wasn't mj related that afternoon. crazy.

big nose, skinny nose, brown skin, white skin, afro, jheri curl, perm, mj is and will always be the best!

watch dirty diana ...



someone said.

if nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
-author unknown

6.24.2010

what i'm buying.

shirred halter swimsuit dress, $39, spiegel.com

someone put me on to this cute old-school suit yesterday and i can't remember which blogger it was. sorry, i would have shouted you out. but thanks. i'll be grabbing this for my cruise!

today's sentiments.

"you catch more bees with honey than vinegar."
-unknown

indeed, indeed.

photo source

say something tees.

some say they're out, but i can still appreciate a cute tank with a message. 3 under $14 at forever 21. click the image for the link.

$13.80


$12.90

$10.90

reading rainbow.

ok, so pbs raised us 80s babies. sesame street. mister rogers. pinwheel! but reading rainbow was my favorite. who knew that ms. chaka khan was the voice behind the theme song? i youtubed it and after all these years, still knew all the words. ha!

and if you're truly too young to remember the show, reading rainbow was a show that featured stories centered around a children's book. it had a helluva run from 1983 to 2006. levar burton was the host and recently said that he is considering doing webisodes of an adult version of reading rainbow.

here's chaka singing the theme song ...



click on the music player at the bottom of the screen to mute the background music.


6.23.2010

dirty money.

can i tell you how hot i think dirty money is? and that kinda says a lot. i don't just go around co-signing all these new and/or recycled groups. kalenna, dawn (formerly of dannity kane) and diddy make up the group and i'm digging the group's twist (especially that kalenna ... girlfriend's swag is on 1000.)

i don't quite get why people are so indifferent of the group. is it the diddy factor? there's so much chocolate talent spewing from them ... i find them quite refreshing. hmm ... maybe they just don't fit that formula ... you know what formula i'm talking about.

anywho, i found their site today. go on and check it out.

her steeze: patrice williams from living fly on a dime.

i come across some flyy chicks throughout my internet travels so it was only right to reinstate the sgmotw series. this time around it's simply called her steeze. these ladies are on the move, ambitious and of course sui generis. i am inspired and motivated by their drive and think their worthy of becoming friends in my head (in my wendy williams voice). as was the case with ms. patrice williams of living fly on a dime. peep her steeze ...

"i feel style should be truly individual ..." -patrice

who?
patrice williams. i'm a writer, reporter and blogger behind living fly on a dime.


what you do?
i have a background in journalism and have written fashion and lifestyle stories for instyle, essence, cosmogirl and aol black voices. last september i started living fly on a dime, where i give readers the daily dish on how to live a fabulous life for less. i post 5 days a week so that means devising interesting ideas as well as doing online research.

what inspired me to start living fly on a dime?
after being laid off from my job at a fashion magazine, i was a bit unsure of what i wanted to do. i love living in nyc but the city is so expensive. i was determined to live a fly lifestyle and enjoy everything the city had to offer, even though i was completely broke. my friends were always impressed with my budget tips (finding cheap airfare, buying designer items from thrift stores, etc), so i figured i'd start a blog where i share my tips with everyone and let people know you don't have to drop tons of cash to lead a fulfilling life.

future plans?
i want to keep growing the living fly on a dime brand and eventually turn the blog into a show where i travel to different cities and show people how they can "live fly on a dime" by visiting local thrift stores or affordable, but great restaurants. i also want to keep building my portfolio as a writer. my dream is to have a byline in gq.

your style can be described as?
casual chic. i love casual items like skinny jeans or a dressy tee, but i jazz them up with a pair of sky high heels or a big statement necklace. i'm a true girly girl, but i don't like looking too over the top.

favorite style icon?
don't have one. i love certain celebs' style (jennifer lopez and rihanna) but i don't have a single icon that i really look to or admire. i feel style should be extremely individual and when people focus on what others are wearing too much, you lose your individual flair.

if you could have a glass of wine with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?
it would have to be donny hathaway. i think he's the greatest r&b artist that ever lived and yet so underrated and unknown by many non-r&b fans. it wasn't until my senior year of college that a professor introduced me to donny and since then i've been hooked. his music is soulful and at times, absolutely heartbreaking.

your stranded on an island with only 3 items. what are they?
1. a massive supply of coconut oil. it's natural and one of the most multi-purpose beauty products (great for skin and hair). 2. native son. i could read that book forever. richard wright's words just get better each time around. 3. twinkies. they're my guilty pleasure and i'm sure i'd need something to cheer me up over the fact that i'm stranded on an island. :)

saako necklaces.

kudos to designers, ines brito and joana gouveia, who were able to dodge the dreaded 9-5 life, typing away in front of a computer screen, swearing off carpal tunnel. sigh. they put their heads together and soon the saako project was born: unique multi-stranded necklaces made from scarf material. i can dig it.

they're affordable ($50) and soft and pretty much contradict everyone's idea of what a necklace should be. and i guess you could go on and skip the scarf and simply opt for one of these - it's made of scarf material, mine as well double as one, too. check them out here.

6.22.2010

etsy love: rachel gilman jewelry.

rachel gilman is a nyc based jewelry designer who is in love with color. this is evident in her hand-painted wood earring collection that i am now lusting after. check out her etsy page and it may remind you of an art gallery. so abstract and distinctive. her prices range from $45-$120. not bad at all.




top: cody earrings, $110
middle: roxy, $120
bottom: multi-colored, $110