Monday, July 30, 2012

What's Old is New

There's something timeless about polka dots. They never seem to go out of fashion (for women that is). I'm not too fond of men in polka dots a'la Kwame from the 80's...

I bought this dress from a vintage shop in New Orleans thirteen years ago, and have worn it at least once every spring or summer since. The brooch is a fave of my mine I picked up in Soho, Manhattan.

Enjoy the pics! I hope this look inspires you.


Dress (Vintage) similar here
Shoes Jessica Simpson (DSW) similar here
Purse Iceberg (Daffys) similar here
Brooch similar here


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

My first role model

As little girls our first role model is our Mom. We learn how to carry ourselves not only by listening to warnings of bad choices, but by watching and unconsciously emulating our mothers. I loved watching her get dressed. She loved to sew our clothes but time didn't always allow so sometimes we'd shop till we dropped! She taught me how to find a bargain, that proper fit was the most important thing and how to store and take care of my clothes.

When my Mom passed, a friend who grew up in the same church as I did sent me a beautiful message. I'm sharing part of it along with some vintage pictures of my Mommy. I thank God for sending me to this earth through her. Everything in our lives is for a reason. Nothing is wasted. I miss her terribly.

May God continue to rock you in the cradle of His arms today and for always. Be strong. Live the evident Christian legacy that your mom lived. She was the epitome of a sophisticated Christian woman. That banner has been passed down to you.

With sincerest compassion,
Karl


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bring out your Natural Curls.

It's very rare that I like a pic of myself (we are all our worst critics), but I love this one. It's from an interview I conducted for the web series "Passion Paved Journey". I'm so excited to work on this project! More to come about that soon..

Some folks wonder how I create my curly hair-do.  When I first started wearing it this way it was called the shake n'go, but now I see youtubers calling it the wash n'go.  Shake and go is a better description because that's the key to it all:

1. After I wash and condition my hair while in the shower I put moisturizing cream throughout and then add a little oil concentrating on the ends.

2. Next step is adding gel all throughout, parting my hair and working it through section by section (fave Gel is EcoStyler).

3. Once this is complete I turn the shower on again and place my head under the water, shaking my head from side to side for about 10 seconds.  The water and shaking motion allows the oil and cream to weigh my hair down and separate the curls while the gel holds them in place. 

4. I then blow dry my hair without the comb attachment, concentrating on the roots only and I'm done. 

I can keep this style until my next wash by adding a dab of gel and doing the shake under the shower each morning.  My drying process is a lot shorter because my hair isn't as wet.

So there it is. Give it a try and let me know how your hair comes out.
In the meantime, here are some more pics from the interview..

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Summer White

When asked what my favorite color is I always respond white.  Some would debate whether white is a color at all, but I love it because its calming, classic and very sexy when done right.

This past weekend I pulled out my crochet dress and straw hat.  I found the dress in Daffy's one summer but it didn't have a slip-dress attached.  I wonder if it was meant to be a bathing suit cover-up??  Anyway, I decided it was a dress and recently found a basic black cotton t-shirt dress from H&M to wear underneath.  I could of punched it up with some color but I kept it neutral.  Sometimes it's so hot you just want to keep your look cool...  Enjoy!








Dress ~ DAFFYS similar here
Shoes ~ DSW here
Clutch ~ STEVE MADDEN similar here
Hat ~ GAP similar here