Speak out... on paper

We've seen the beautiful Duchess of Cambridge get her Prince ...*sigh*  in the meantime we can also be inspired by other more controllable entities in our life... be inspired.

I read many times once you put pen to paper it makes it real. Next to my love of  Fashion & Style is the written word... There isn't nothin like being wrap up in a world of writing; weather its a good ol' hard back novel which could take you in to the world of Mississippi's 1930's or a delicious glossy mag that'll draw you into soft textures of  fabric and makes hues dance around in your mind ...

Today Blog continues to be blessed by...

Audrey Brown  - Freelance Writer 

her twinkling piercing hazel eyes struck me first, after a warm hug, her shy little princess takes a peep at who is taking the attention of her mama. We take a seat in a local cafe, and really start to enjoy the welcoming  Sunday's sunny day.

on this rare occasion Audrey is on the other side of the table ...my interviewing her begins. In 2006 she finishes her Journalism degree, gun's a blazing she approaches London College of Fashion (LCF) for any opportunities, Audrey's ultimate goal is to start a magazine. Realising her innate ability and talent LCF "expressed great interest"  and asked her to write exclusively for the Universities Newsletter focusing on their students. So as not to have her wings clipped too soon... she declined their offer and flew into the wide world of work...After a few years and still keeping her ears to the ground. A friend who had worked with New Nation (a weekly news paper aimed at the Black British community) had unfortunately gone into Administration. Her friend and other fellow works at New Nation decided to start a new magazine - Lime Magazine she approached Audrey Brown to become a part of the new family! 

As features editor for Lime Magazine, Audrey has had the opportunity to gain really good contacts and interview some very exciting guests from sultry singer Toni Braxton to the irresistible Trey Songz

Audrey Brown & Trey Songz (don't they cute together) 

WHY WRITING ? it was very much a "natural" thing to Audrey, from the early days of primary school and especially secondary school her teachers raved about her writing! The penny started to drop and then she was thought seriously and her love and loaths for a future career that could incorporate her writing... the idea of writing a magazine! In college she pursued her dream and started to write a magazine which "Inspired" her and concreted future path....

Supportive friends relising her talent saw a Vogue writing competition and encouraged her to enter the only fall back, was that the deadline was due on that day :/ She quickly wrote a piece and handed it in time for the deadline and was eventually shortlisted !!

Obviously her talent knew no bounds and it was like neon lights that she couldn't let her writing lie

PASSION ...Writing (doh rubi !) Music and some fashion. Through Lime magazine Audrey was able to interview some of her favourite musician 'Boyz II Men', Pras of the Fugees including Trey Songs and Toni Braxton (as previously mentioned).

"i'd also always grown up with music, LOVED music, wished i could sing , but couldn't sing so writing was what  i could do and was the next best thing"

Having her own magazine is (rightly so),  still an achievable dream.. but of course requires funding. In the meantime freelance writing and by keeping herself on the pulse of popular culture Audrey is a also a fellow blogger - Music, Fashion and Sex in the City. You'll find with Audrey's blog she is definitely the first to fine out about the latest music news, especially in the r&b, rap circuit... see her most recent interview with new young male band Encore, who have recently been touring Jessie J and NDubz. I'm more of a nu soul, funk, hip hop kinda lady but a far as boy bands go they alright ... 

WISE WORD OF WISDOM..."if you have a dream at what ever age you should always pursue it" Audrey had a set back earleir on in life as her first dream was to be an actor, which was really good at. But a closed minded "carreers advisor" told her she couldn't do it. It has been her experience that people can "deter you and put you on to a different track", thankfully she will be also pursing her first dream by starting an acting class.

"I'm always of the mind set what ever you think you can achieve you will achieve".

And constantly surrounds herself with like minded people.

ROLE MODELS ....Maya Angelou, Oprah because of their intellectuality, insight and "what they have gone through and the times at which that the had gone through" their difficulties is inspirational and keeps her striving for her goals.

The career's advisor was made her felt inferior, she says at a young age one is "vulnerable" and not "self confident enough" to lead on their own, ultimately was is needed is that encouragement.

MOTIVATION...the Power, the sequel book to the Secret ( one of my top three books !), in moments of discouragement Audrey "dips into this" to keep her in stead...reminds her at the fair age of 27 single mother Audrey has achived so much and has a wealth of more things to come

Mary Katranzou AW11

FAVOURITE DESIGNERS ... New designers such as Mary Katrantzou , Hannah Marshall , the amazing Tom Ford. Importantly, tailoring appealds to her.

DECADE ... "Love the 21st century" and our freedom to borrow designs ideas from the 40's through to the 60's and make it our own !

Audrey will be putting together a creative writing class!! So stay tuned....for details.

Assuredly i'll be front of the class


Ciao for now :0)

Modern ICONS

On my natural hair journey, there are a lot of things 'they' slyly fail to mention before transitioning from relaxed natural hair ...

Natural hair doesn't automatically become the picture of health...
it takes and needs great care and moisture, conditioning, moisture, conditioning MOISTURE ! Did i say moisture ?

It has become very apparent that each person's hair is as individual as a finger print ..i.e, olive oil used on it own in my hair dries the fo shizzle outta of my strands.

My hair now that  i'm trying to grow it, drinks up hair moisturisers like a sahara... one thing that has helped amongst a plentitude of other oils and potion is Lush's R & B @ £9.95 it is a bit expensive for quite a small tub(100g) but contains such nourishing, and earth friendly stuff... plus a lil does go a long way ! A pleasant smell and a lotion does weigh ...

This was recommended to me by Kera of Moody Manes ( check out interview below!). My hair seems to love this stuff. Logic tell me natural works best natural so its a given that this stuff should work really -You'll find the product is packed with goodies such as oat milk, fair trade olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil amongst a world of other goodies...

Continuing on my path i do look to every avenue for hair inspiration.. then you find because one wears a natural we are a kinda minority.. the women at the forefront rocking a natural appear to have such inspirational strength. I have come across a couple of who I've become drawn to and may well be on to their way to becoming modern icons...

I have blogged about her amazing voice before Janelle Monae, her energy speaks volumes by the way she expresses herself....

Now I never thought I'd  think this let alone type aloud but Solange Knowles is seriously  reppin', despite the great force that is her sister, she has been able come into her own... 

Nikisha

Cipriana

I have come across a few sites for our curly coiled sista.... Urban Bush Babes  is by far my favourite! founded by Nikisha & Cipriana, best friends and "pasionista's"  based in NYC they have a website  movement which is packed with insightful hair regimes, product reccomendation and fabulous vintage style and finds!

My search goes on... let me know if you have any modern ICON's you look to ?...


Ciao for now :0)

Ms Scruffy OWL

Take a seat, cuppa at the ready and bar of chocolate if you like .... for another inspirational session with another real heroe Kera of Scruffy OWL.

I met with one part of the‘Urban’ duo  don’t actually love this word… it seems to me, this was a term used for pigeon holing what black people do… that’s in my opinion. Now its turned around to address the youth culture …. What does it really mean?? Note to self do not pigeon hole!! Anywho I digress and regress.

I meet Kera part founder of Scruffy Owl, and all round creative explosion.

Kera Modelling one of her Scruffy OWL tees.

With a mother who designed jewellery, she encouraged Kera to follow her talented juices. Kera is a free spirit, oozes charm and is casually exquisite which is reflected in her character. 

Hair by Moody Manes, Make Up Ru MEL

Along with Scruffy Owl, she coifs hair through Moody Manes, her mobile stylist business  and is now learning to tattoo which should emerge in six months! All this energy falls under her brand Kinetic Moodz – kinetic referring to waves that go on forever and Moodz, changing of moods. People… she came up with this name when she was 14!! I think this goes to show the talent which is bubbling under the surface, I look forward to her peak.

http://purpleferdinand.tumblr.com

For those who don’t already follow on her on twitter you will find, she is on the pulse of all things unique, inspiring and non conformist: see picture to your left by Tortured Minds - tumblr. Re posted by Kera.

So her fashion story really began when in New York, London born but was flown to the big Apple when she was about 9yrs old.

29 yr old Kera went to an Art & Design high school in New York, Manhattan majoring in Fashion Design.

She was flown back to blighty in her late teens, and then immersed herself as a Londoner - when interviewing Kera you can't but feel NYC is still in her heart, the odd twang or still slang slips through after nearly 10years.

She went on to study at the esteemed however infamous London College of Fashion – hers was an experience that made her want to throw fashion over the fence. After her depleting experience at the London College of Fashion (LCF), Kera went on to join the rat race… on her life's journey she met her partner, her kindred spirit. He didn’t really work in fashion however had an affinity with great design.An almalgation of both their beings Scruffy OWL was born:

Scruffy Other Ways of Libertion… ( this has become my favourite name in the universe !!).

The Scruffy – is a bit of an oxymoron .. you never find a scruff owl now do you !

Check out their facebook page click here.

Follow them on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/Scruffy_Owl

And you can purchase Scuffy OWL clothing through; http://urbfashion.co.uk/shop/

Scruffy OWL is heavily influenced by hip-hop and break dance and for me what runs through is a freedom of expression.Catering for both women and men, their tees are a steal at £24.99 and really wicked hoodies from £44.99( that tee below is my next purchase ! )

Fly High Hoodie £44.99

Womens 80s rope chain T-shirt £24.99

PASSION .... Dance, her (nearly) 6foot statuesque height was her obstacle which is why she never pursued her first dream, however with her high school break dancing days (fortunately for us)  brought Scruffy OWL

WORDS FOR THE WISE ... "don't let people, their insecurities or short coming in life dictate how you feel about your art and how you feel about yourself"

MOTIVATION....God, her christianity... "the road will never run smooth" but through all the twist and turns she keeps God in her life to get through.

ROLE Models .... her Mama , as mentioned previously, her Mama's artistry helped her raise Kera, her mother didn't let life mudane obstacles impact and as is in her mother now runs through Kera's veins was a great positive outlook on life.

what speaks to her in ART is Jean Michel Basquiat (one of my favourites), and other graffiti artist such as Bansky.

favourite DECADE 70's it all about "Peace, LOVE" and the all the other funky good stuff

'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent' Eleanor Roosevelt

Whist at LCF unfortunatley the tutors did have negative impact on her learning..... however the assurance that one day soon, she will reap sweet but silence vengeance to see one of her old tutors rocking Scruffy OWL tees ! 

Stayed tune for her imerging tatoo business, she has countless tat's, 9 and counting! I for one can't wait for more her Kenetic Moodz.

CIAO ;0)

Beauty Junkie returns

So we all know I can't stay too far from beauty for too long... AND OMG there are some really cool nail effect nail polishes on the market !!

Barry M and OPI have a really cool crackle nail polish. OPI's colours for this range are more metallic and a bit more rock...inspired by Katy Perry click here to have a look at their range

The idea is that you paint your nails with any base solid bright colour e.g., your normal reds or pinks. Then you use one coat of the Barry M or OPI crackle nail colour.

Have a look at the you tube video below, this ladie compare's Barry M's version with OPI. It seems the OPI is easier to apply, it has a thinner consistency compared to Barry M's version. BUT there isn't much difference in it really.

Topshop Flagship store in Oxford Street sell Barry M's polishes so.. we know what i'm doing in my work lunch break tomorrow !

I think I'm going to attempt a leopard skin esque design

We still have a couple more weeks left of April meaning some more inspiring interview so stay tuned !

Ciao for now ;0)

Empower begins, continues but will never conclude....

The month of April I claim it to be a month of empowering women. I will be conducting interviews with successful, and up and coming professional women. From these interviews I hope to inspire, promote and bring about sheer goodness !!

Once upon a time.... in January 2011 I was curled up with a cup of tea and digestive biscuits, the wonder of Black Girls Rock Awards shone upon me, I thought i'd bring a lil piece of the action to blighty!

The concept of Black Girls Rock is a non for profit organisation for the youth; to empower and motivate young women and turn around the negative way in which black women are portrayed in the media. The organisation seeks to mentor and build these youth with high self esteem and self worth through various educational programs

As a woman whose motivated and inspired by 'real' women what better way than to bring our true heroes to the forefront. I'm constantly filled with beaming pride when I see my peers filling the roles they have worked hard towards.

So people lets raise our glasses (cue something bubbly), here is a clink to our hard work and perseverance to attain our dreams.


Without further to do our first empowering interview is with

Chantell Walters - Fashion Designer.

I meet the beautiful Chantell in the buziness of St Pancras after she has finished from a thought provoking meeting about the next steps of her ever growing fashion line. 

Chantell  Walters

Her personality, character and talent is one which has drawn attention from various bloggers and esteemed editorials such as the New York Times fashion pages, Essence Online and Grazia Daily. Her fashion story started at the young age of 5, with the influence of her trendy young mum who she was 'embarrassed' by, because she didn't fit the norm at that time, thankfully her mum continued to regularly visit boutiques finding treasures and experimented with hair and beauty styles, and "after hours of dressing up in her [mothers] clothes" her mother ultimately became a fundamental influence in her life. Mamma Walters precious word for Chantell during her teens were that "she hadn't raised her to become a follower".

28 yr old Chantell made her first dress at 19,  after graduating from the prestigious London College of Fashion her fashion story really began.

PASSION.. her greatest passion in her life is her cute Son, his innocence and "carefree attitude to life" and aptitude for being anything he wants "if he chooses to be buzz light year, he will be" inspires her and drives her determination. Since being a mother she feels even more passionate about her goals in life, more so, to be a great role model to her son, to teach him that "working hard" will get him anywhere he wants and enable him to achieve anything.

the MOTHER, Chantell sometimes likens herself to Will Smith's character in the film the Pursuit of Happiness. Encouragingly she has a strong family network who help her to achieve her dreams, even though her trips to New York can be bittersweet being away from her son, she is able to maintain continuity in her sons life by exposing him to London's rich arts culture and relishes reading time.The hard work, juggling her mother designer role, for her is all worth it for the long term. As with all us women she has the innate ability to "multi-task".

RISK taking, it seems is fundamental to Chantell's successes, on one of her trips to New York during fashion week she walked straight through to sit front in the coveted front seats of a runway show! "If you don't go out there, no one is going to know you exist" her wise words of WISDOM for those who don't want to live with regret is "if you feel like doing something follow your instincts and go for it !"

MOTIVATION 'Carpe Diem' seize the day. To keep her in her energetic state of mind her daily routine is reading something positive and regularly listens, in particular, to motivation speakers Les Brown & Eric Thomas the Hip Hop preacher

her ROLE MODELS .. the "mad scientist of the world" such as Erykah Badu, Byork and Kimora Lee Simmons. These women are "unique in their own way and live life to the fullest!"

her main FAVOURITE DESIGNERS Alexander Mcqueen, Hussein Chalayan, Balenciaga, Ralph Simmons for his Menwear, Vivienne Westwood.

'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent' Eleanor Roosevelt

Whilst at uni one of her teachers, tried to make her feel inferior by constantly predicting her very low grades, irrespective of her unconditional offer for the university and constant high grades that surpassed average marks i.e., achieving "A", needless to say Chantell Walters survived through this and frenemies by her unrelenting "Tunnel Vision" of her goals and surrounding herself with successful, encouraging people and mentors; in addition, listening to successful business stories helps her to focus.

FUTURE is her inspiration,  her childhood interest on sci-fi has heavily influenced her designs, consciously or not.. Looking at the names chosen for her previous collections AW10 Space Odyssey , SS10 The Hitchikers Galaxy go to show she and her designs are is very much fashion forward, unique and most importantly wearable.

Chantell Walters plans to re launch herself and her brand very soon. Definitely one to watch with collections that leave a statement and beautiful fluidity with much personality.

I left Chantell feeling pumped from her infectious and positive energy.

Check out her designs, her next collection is sure to be another show stopper which are to involve interesting prints, I imagine not too far removed from her science fiction origins.

www.chantellwalters.co.uk

Just Because....

... i thought i'd share with ya'll.

I was actually looking for inspiration of new natural hairstyles, and came across these inspiring and intriguing  photographs ... both new to be and not. 

The following photographs were taken from 1901 - present. It struck me while discovering these photos that unless one goes out of their way to find these sorts of images. We very rarely see african's in this amazing light.

This following picture was taken in 1901, apart from the greyed hue of the photo. This could easily be a contemporary photo taken in 2011. 

The way in which this woman has accessorised her hair with flowers, emphasise's the notion that nothing is new! Such elegance...

 1901

I found this picture on a Flckr site taken by Gbaku. One of the comments to this photo questioned why the woman would do this? Immediately, it was obvious to me that women through all the ages, are about emphasising their best assets. It just goes to show plastic surgery even though appears to be a modern concept, is maybe not so new??!

 Taken in Liberia in 1943 by Gbaku.

"the way that I use backdrops in order to pose people for their pictures is all about transporting them, taking them to places where they don't go," he says.

After which Samuel Fosso famously began taking photo's of himself. The first time I saw this artist was at the Hayward Gallery in Southbank about 5yrs ago. The exhibition was centred on contemporary African Art, this exhibition open my eyes to the wonder of African Art... Samuel Fosso's piece below was one that has also stayed with me. Because of it extravagance, sense of humour yet poignancy.

Le Chef. Samuel Fosso. 1994

Checkout this Artist Seydou Keita (1921 - 2001), a self taught photographer based in Bamako in Mali. I'm in love with these photos they are too cool and kinda 50's chic! Taken between the 50's and 60's. Keita had a studio in Bamako. It seems he was a bit of local hero, where Mali's social elite and middle class would go to his studio to have photo's taken. He would use various props such as mopeds and car, car's which at the time were quite a luxury to be shown with. Maybe Africa's answer Mario Testino of that time? Fortunately his art wasn't too much of a well kept secret and found its way to New York, after which he became quite wealthy selling pieces as much as $16,000.

Ciao for now ! xx

Fashion & ethics ... Not that deep :/

So on this Sunny Sunday, I took a trip to my favourite haunt Spitafields with the intentions of purchasing a picture frame… I think you know where this story is going! My addiction and lourve for clothing is one that runs deep. So lemme get to the point I came across a really cool stall which sells organic and ethical tshirts. That go by the name of Organik Rocka which is an amalgamation of fashion music and consciousness. All the things I try to stand for! I based a predominant part of my dissertation on Ethical Fashion which has unfortunately go by the the way side however ! Ethical fashion will slowly but very surely be reintroduce to my wardrobe. If we all just stepped away from the primarks of the highstreet and used our buying power, don't get it twisted people we as consumer have serious command on the high street and have been for a good 5years or more... Demanded more ethical fashion and organic goods like we do with with our food. The world will be a better place. Now where were we ... oh yes Organik Rocka, now apparently they have gigs and parties … Seems like a movement I look forward to being a part of. Check out their website organikrocka.com I treated myself to there ‘star tee’ shown above in a green colourway. The cotton is gorgeously soft and well made. The charming Kai who was on the stall explained to me that, the cotton was particularly an aspect on their business which they were passionate about getting on point.

Glasses without shades..

I mossied on from the sparkling contemporary glassed roof Spitafield market to the erm after thought smaller market which is closest to Brick Lane and its trendy Big Chill bars and the like. I found some really cool shades, which were like 80's vintage goliath - Run DMC stylie shades however they were frames with a see through lens i.e., not serving it’s purpose !! I really L O V E these frames but I feel a fraud buying glasses with a see through lens. Guys help me … Will I just look like a fash victim !?!?! I said just earlier I aspire to be conscious … :/

I'm Reeeeeallly sorry for my long absence i pinky promise to keep you all fashion lovelies informed of my ever long finds xx




Ciao for Now !