"Heart of Glass..."

Debbie Harry is a glamgod. I can't front like I know all of her music, but I definitely appreciate the face she gives on a daily, both past and present.  If I actually put more effort into what I looked like, I'd probably leave the house looking like her illegitimate black lovechild.  Here, Vogue Turkey lets model Ashley Smith pay homage to the boss.

 And here's the triple O.G:

"She looks like a model, except she's got a lil more ass"

I know I already quoted LoveStoned a half second ago but I'm on some supersexy JT shit right now.  And it's appropriate for this.

So while American Vogue is busy celebrating Penelope Cruz'z nonacting ass role in the new Pirates film, Vogue Italia is celebrating some real shit: curves.  Fuck it, I'm moving to Paris. They appreciate black girls and curvy girls and I happen to be both. 

" I swear she's bad and I think that she knows"

"The first step is to admit my obsession"

I have a newfound appreciation for all things sexy.  And this. Right here. Is it...

Kelly Rowland is not one to be slept on. This is from her latest editorial spread for Wonderland magazine. I love it.  And while "Motivation" seems to be the track thats putting her back on the map, I hope she doesn't abandon us "Commander/When Love Takes Over/Obsession" fans. Just saying.

urb·fash The #1 Urban Fashion Blog www.urbfash.com: Style Story: Messiah

urb·fash The #1 Urban Fashion Blog www.urbfash.com: Style Story: Messiah: "There’s this boy…
He’s from Harlem. He models (no, seriously. He’s signed with an agency). And he’s dope. I think you’d like to meet h..."

"My heart is like a marching band, I'm a fan in the stands...."

I never grow old of seeing new talent and right now, I'm honored to say that I'm surrounded by it. There are so many people that I come in contact with that are just ridiculously creative and who are obviously going places (or at least going super hard trying to). And in the middle of it all is me, either silently or obnoxiously rooting (sp?) for my fellow create-my-own-path'ers.

Here's a few:

Cash

Her name says it all. The girls' about her paper. Biology major/two job worker/aspiring model.  She invited lil 'ol me to watch her on her first shoot with this BOSSY (and I do mean bossy) photographer Anthony Parmalee about a week ago. Honey killed. I can't wait to watch her career grow. Whichever one she chooses to roll with.

Alex

Mix equal parts Spanish blood + Marilyn Manson + bass guitar +Brooklyn pride, then sprinkle a little MGMT on top and you have Alex (aka Long Hair, Don't Care) of the Positive View. He's another dope kid I've met since I've been here.  He and his bandmates are like the cool kid version of like the Jonas Brothers or something. Mad teeny bopper bitches are gonna fall in love with them soon. I got to see them in action at their first show and I was so proud. I had a blast.

Asia

When I first got here, and I was working at that job that mad me suicidal, I met Asia.  She was like that cool older chick in high school that I always aspired to be like in a way.  I just thought she was the dopest of the dope (for lack of better words). She had a natural fro-hawk, a FIT education, a serious boyfriend she was madly in love with  and a Brooklyn toughness about her that made people think twice before saying some slick shit about her.  And on top of that, she had an online boutique. OMGeezers.  I thought I was going to talk her head off about (then named) Purple Chocolate. She specialized in knit and crochet accessories. When our work schedule started to interfere with her ability to complete orders, she considered closing the store and I nearly had a meltdown.  Thank God, she didn't do it. Instead, she quit the bullshit job (I, right along with her) and revamped the etsy shop. It is now called Hooks and Halo's and she added jewelry to the store as well. Check it out and support this handmade line of goods : http://www.etsy.com/shop/HooksandHalos?ref=pr_shop_more

I'm sure I'm leaving out people but,...I'm tired. It's after midnight and I gots shit to do in the AM. Part two coming soon though.

"I...am the one with the brightest hair,..."

I used to say that when I grew old, I'd be one cool ass grandma. I imagined I'd have a shitload of grandkids and I'd spend my retirement days hanging out with them in boho dresses and pink dreads.  Well, I just saw this chick the other day in Soho with these bright red/fuschia dreads that are seriously making me want to get a head start on my future look.

"Me, I'm a cre-a-tor"

One of my favorite things about this city is the random little gems you find unexpectedly while doing your normal routine stuff.  As usual, I was perusing through Soho on some other shit and had to take a breather on the steps of a storefront. When I looked up, this amazing street art was staring back at me. We locked glares for a good five solid minutes. 

There was no salesperson (within eyesight) around the art and there were no people hovering around to buy stuff either. So I just stared.

And stared.

And stared.

Long story short, I finally saw a guy appear out of thin air when this impeccably dressed foreign woman started inquiring about a painting of the Pink Panther. I wanted so badly to just grow some balls and start talking to the dude. But, of course, I didn't....yet.

 I eventually got up enough courage to ask the man if it was okay for me to take pics of the artwork. He told me it wasn't even his shit and when I started taking pics, the guy whose shit it actually was came up to me and started talking. I told him I was a new blogger and I could see his interest in my story plummet so I quickly shit the fuck up, got my pics and found a new place to sit.

The artist said he uses alot of mixed media in his pieces and absolutely no stencils.  Ever.  Then he glided away on his skateboard. Something like a boss, right? Fuck, I wish I were an artist.  He can be reached at ohwhenjones@gmail.com for more information.



..."Judas is the demon I cling to"

So the world was supposed to end on Saturday. Obviously it didn't.

I must say, I feel like at least a little bit of my world ended though. But in a good way. More to come on that later but...

I finally found the legendary Trash and Vaudeville on Saturday.  St. Marks Place really resusitated my love for this city.

Smile (for Keisha)

If there are two things that I almost never do, it would have to be 1) cooking and 2) crying. Yet somehow I managed to end up doing both at the same time....

The sister of my best friend lost her battle against sickle cell this past weekend and it's been hitting me in small sporadic doses.  Utter disbelief doesn't even begin to describe the way I'm feeling right now.  She hadn't even hit 35 yet. And she was a mom. 

They come from a big, very close family and as you can imagine, everyone has been taking it really hard. My friend is the one who usually knows just the right shit to say to someone when they're hurting. She's so good with 'being there' and consoling people. To see her as the person who could use some comforting is...weird. I couldn't take it. Just knowing my friend's hurting so badly and I'm a million miles away just hurts. Our other best friends are there with her, as well as her family so I know she's getting all the comfort she needs, but still.

For as long as I've known her, Keisha's been in and out of the hospital from her sickness. Doctor's didn't expect for her to have too much of a life, it seems.  Of course they were wrong.  She managed to complete college, become a nurse, get married and have TWO children. They tried to say she couldn't have one. She fought hard. She fought so damn hard that I just believed she couldn't be beat. She was hospitalized routinely, especially around holidays and birthdays which sucked because hers was on Valentine's Day. But she always came back.

The most memorable thing about her had to be her laugh. She was one of those people who was ALWAYS happy. Like, stupid happy for no reason at all. Always joking and smiling. Why her? There's plenty of miserable non-smilers that the world could do without (sorry). Why did we have to lose a person that brought light into people's lives? She was such a boss for being able to carry on a normal, successful life despite having an illness that has probably crippled others from doing the same. Her story screams inspiration. It screams strength. It screams empowerment. We need her here to share that story and help others.  Then again, I think she'll be more effective doing that as the angel I'm sure she is :)


Rest In Peace, beautiful

Eighteenth NYC

Apparently someone got the memo that not all girls aim to dress like whores in the summer.  Eighteenth NYC is what I've been looking for but have yet to find until now: easy-going, lightweight shit I can rock with anything. Really dope for making clothes that are simple yet make a statement same time. And it's all in the $100- 200 price range