Shala.

This photo of Shala Monroque embodies all that I aspire to be as a fashion maven. She permeates an aura that is effortlessly chic, classic, and colorful amongst a sea of black and basic. More can be read about her here.

P.S. Her hair is au naturale. Bonus!

My Polyvore Creations*

Find me on Polyvore

I can now turn my fashion dreams into "cyber" reality via Polyvore. For the budding or the seasoned fashionista, this site provides ample opportunities to create fashion concepts, as well as, interior design ideas. Try it out. Have fun*

Creatively Speaking*

The child in me berades me constantly with her "Mommy why?! Mommy why?!" She screams loudly urging me to give in to a past I have forgotten and seem to be stifling. Five years ago, I let the deepest connection between my inner child and me simply just die. I somehow got lost in the shuffle and threw it to the wind. I heard her whispering the other day (I guess she realized the screaming was futile). She whispered "Mommy why? Why did you let your creativity die?"

My creativity. My creativity. Yes, I indeed severed the tie to that part of me that was so innately a presence in my being. I came to college and lost what and who I was in trying to become a renewed version of myself. How does one lose his or her self in trying to improve? By looking at the improvement of others and thinking you are somehow subpar. Yesterday, for the first time in five years I felt "the rush of urgency". I've felt the urge and at times the rush to be active about my passions, but this time was different because the rush felt good and it left me with a charge to act upon it.

The catalyst for this movement was a painting by Traci Bautista. The painting you see above moved my inner child enough to ask me "Do you remember this feeling?" I perused Traci Bautista's site after happening upon the Copic marker site (long story), where she was advertised as their featured artist. I literally was smitten by her work. All her artwork is laden with childlike tendencies, but has effortless maturity with very feminine overtones. It is everything the creative side of me wants to be a balance of. I looked at her techniques and the items she uses to create her work and everything is so freeing and unrestricted. The funny thing of it all is that I've drawn a few times, but always cared about it not being better than others. The only creative outlet that I intentionally sought out -and surpassed my initial expectations - was through dance. My dancing was laden with childlike tendencies, yet had effortless maturity with very feminine overtones, and gave me a feeling of freedom and inhibition. which is why I've connected to Bautista's work with such intensity. This feeling has not only resurged my love for dance, but has inspired me to try a hand at art once more. I no longer look at these forms of art as the competition I once personified it as. I look at it for what it is...

"the purpose of art is to be an extension of our reality." ~Me

Feminist Glitch

Bad Girls Club. For the Love of Ray J. Flavor of Love. BET.

Where are our role models? Gone are the days where respect was top priority. Suddenly "Sex sells" is now an adage versus a marketing tactic. It has quickly become the norm to see role models like Beyonce, who once merely suggested sex, wear her sexuality on her sleeve. Demure and lady-like are now adjectives used to describe being a priss or prude, when in reality it is what truly defines a lady. It seems as if our era has bred the "feminist glitch", a concept I came up with while writing this post. The feminist glitch is a woman who is comfortable in her sexuality, but to the point of her detriment. She is a woman who declares that she is uninhibited, but unwittingly gives up her sexual freedom by dictating it as her primary worth. Don't get me wrong, a freakum dress night or two is a beautiful thing, but the woman who half splits in that same freakum dress in a house amongst twenty women vying for the attention of a male who couldn't tell your hole from a hole in the wall, is self-deprecating. The saddest part is the fact that the medium to which most adolescent females receive their data, is the medium that is increasingly offering its female viewers more images to demean who they are.

It makes me cringe to hear the word b*tch become uncensored on television. Although b*tch may be used unisexually, it is predominantly directed towards females. Shows, which generally uplift women, such as Girlfriends, made it mainstream and acceptable to call one another b*tch because it was proposed to be a term of endearment. Why would I consciously want to entitle you my b*tch, when we are bonded through our sisterhood? I don't understand this industry at all and it makes me wonder what world I will be bringing my daughter into. All I know, is that I'll be right there beside her giving praise for the Queendom she beholds in the temple that is her body. I'll be telling her this 10 times a day, so that booty shot on the KING magazine cover can't tell her otherwise*

This is "For the Gaga In You". .

Lady GaGa - Poker Face (Acoustic - Live)

Lady Gaga | MySpace Video

Help Me! . . Yelp Me!

So, I just had a . . revelation. I save so many sites in my favorites section that are clearly relevant to people who share a similar mindset to myself. It would make more sense to put them to good use and share them wit my fellow "readers" (haven't gotten around to using this title because I am the only reader thus far). This is essentially what blogging is all about and tis what I shall do.

Today, I was inspired by this photo, found on LeCoil (I promise to master the art of tagging), and decided to do a search on places to buy african prints. Unbeknownst to my "readers" (one last time for the road), I reside in the beautiful, resourceful, and intriguing city of Brooklyn, New York. In New York City, the task of finding a store that is catered to a defined want is not much more difficult than merely searching for a good burger joint. I wanted a store that carried a bevy of African print options, is easily accessible to my borough, inexpensive, and is owned by a mom and pop shop. Did I just hear you ask: How do I find such a store ? How do I know all these things before entering the store? Enter, Yelp. This is by far my right hand man when it comes to moments like this. I am an avid member of the "I-will-not-go-there-unless-I've-seen-a-review" club and this site is basically all that and more. I found the perfect store and plan on going to browse their selection this weekend, when my workload has simmered.

After designating Trumart Discount Fabrics in the Fashion District as my "peruse place" for the weekend, I stumbled on over to searching all things African that were tagged: African dance classes, African artwork, African cuisine, et al. I ended up finding a myriad of places that tickled my fancy and I plan on setting aside the time to visit them. Toodles*