MY THREE INSPIRATIONS.

INSPIRATION: lately I've been feeling very inspired by three things: simple/minimalism [more than usual], Africa and 80s vintage jewelry. And in this image it portrays two of my main inspirations ... which two inspirations do you think are in this image?


***don't you just love the cross between feminine & elegant to tough [via the boots they wear] all in one!
*Thanks to Dasia for her "Stylish Blogger" award. Loved it.

ELIE SAAB KNOWS IT'S ALL IN THE DETAIL.

ELIE SAAB // FALL 2011:
Nothing takes my breathe away more than "detailing". I'm always rambling about minimalism but to me minimalism doesn't just mean less is more. To me it means the less you put the more detail you pay attention to [you know?] the little things. And this runway show is not directly minimalistic but it does have detailing that will blow your mind.

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CHRISTIE BROWN. VISIBLY URBAN SUBSTANTIALLY AFRICAN.

CHRISTIE BROWN: all African yet still very urban.
I've been a long time fan of Christie Brown since the 2010 African Fashion Week [find the runway show pictures [HERE] on her site]. Christie Brown is not the name of the designer, her name is Aisha Obuobi [from Ghana]. Christie Brown believes that inspiration can be derived from anyone and anything. Aisha enjoys "exploring the intricacy and splendor of nature," and will go out into market places and be inspired by the people she sees or meets. On that note, I'm sure we all agree that inspiration can spring up from unexpected places.

A Christie Brown woman is just in one word "an incredible woman" ... [bring out the corny card, for this one, quick!] ... meaning it's for all women, cause we're all incredible. The acquired look from wearing a Christie Brown piece is to look effortless, modern and chic. And these outfits I would definitely pull out for a special event or if I ever lived in Europe [not England, more like Italy, France, etc where it seems life like these clothes is effortless, you know?]. 

TWO things you'd always notice about Christie Brown's pieces is that they portray confidence and that daring vibe ... and this is no mistake for Christie, this is what she looks to bring out in her work. 

With her work comes elegance in each piece, and these are most definitely for those events that a confident and elegant outfit is the way to go. Even if you're that elegant and confident person and like to dress that way everyday, it still works.

"Christie Brown is a Ghanaian based luxury women's clothing/fashion brand with a chief goal of satisfying and delighting "that modern woman who seeks a true and unique taste of Africa'".

Aisha Obuobi

KANYE'S BEATS THAN DICTION THAT MOVE ME.

My taste in music is very eclectic and I appreciate all genres of music, but my problem is that music today doesn't have to consist of much. To talk about Rebecca Black who I wish all the best and disagree with the media's bashing on her. The song isn't the worst [it's catchy], I will agree the lyrics were weak but if a record label could let her sing such lyrics then it says a lot about our music industry today. So really, why hate on her?
But my long awaited point is that although my taste consists of a wide range of genres I want to still listen to all types of music but focus on the music that makes more sense, lyrically. Only music that's safe that I listen to is contemporary piano pieces like Micheal Nyman. Can do no wrong.

All Of The Lights from Hadaya Turner on Vimeo.
So here is "All of the Lights" by Kanye West featuring Rihanna and Kid Cudi.
* I just love the beat of the song and mix with their voices there lyrics don't do much for me thought. Although Kanye West can be clever with his lyrics [which you can't complain about]. :)

BACK TO PHOTOGRAPHIC GENUIS WITH KWESI ABBENSETTS

Kwesi Abbensetts: My regular dose of Kwesi.

I'm an infactuated fan of Kwesi and it's been a while since I last spoke about him or linked his recent work. I did a mashed post of Kwesi & Plutocracy [HERE] [their work and such] ... Anyway this is a recent piece of photographic genius recent to Kwesi Abbensetts blog.

It's called "In My Head" click [HERE] for the rest of the images and click [HERE] for his main blog for more of his work.
Love his creative flow and inspiration.


***apologies for no outfit posts lately, I haven't been able to take pictures of my daily wears, I'm planning on getting a DSLR and kind of want to leave images from me till I get it. :(

ART CLASS WITH LISA SOLBERG.

LISA SOLBERG ... *what can you say about her work without being biassed? The image above is called "Andrej Pejic". There is always a personal meaning behind an artist's work but her work seems very subjective, and to my experience with it depends on the person's own view to it's meaning.

"Her work transcends continuality; engaging the moment and expressing with relentless and unforgiving motions.  Energy and rawness are a huge focus, as well as the vibrant depiction of optimism and an ultimate realization of the beauty within the void." - from the Lisa Solberg site [HERE]

In these images, a lot of emotions seem to be applied into her work, the color choices even suggest this. Lisa is definitely an artist that works from emotion. Reading an interview [HERE] she not only works on a blank canvas when she feels it but she doesn't have an idea of what the outcome would be and with that emotion the outcome emerges beautifully. 

Deriving her inspiration from around her studio and from outside her studio, although she says she needs "everything very clean and open in order to be so messy and expressive with my work."

Her work to me allows for inspiration, it allows inspiration for an outfit's color choices & print, print color ideas and even a full designer piece worth the runway. I believe that appreciating art is the first step to understanding it, understanding art allows the application of emotion and experience. The formula for creating a masterpiece. [a little self made quote I live by]

view more [HERE]

LIQUID LOVE DEBUT

CHRIS TURNER ... means Nu-Jazz/R&B/Soul. - you just have to press play on the video below [he's amazing].

 "R&B birthed me. Some people grow up listening to Van Halen and the Beatles..I grew up listening to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. My parent's record collection was crazy growing up so i was playing Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield records at an early age. Funny thing is the older you get the more music you discover, but I always came back to Stevie, Marvin, Curtis, Donny of course and my Dad's favorite, Al Green." - Chris Turner

With his Debut Album coming out soon [Liquid Love] ... his blend of the various R&B, Soul and Nu-Jazz often jazz and soul come together so well that it had me putting the video below on reply. As a Californian native specific to Oakland he felt the pull of music at 4 and when your dad's a singer that's just an added bonus of support. He auditioned for YMP [Young Musicians Program] at University of California and was accepted, this program it helped home his talent after much success with the SF Jazz High School Ensemble he was selected for the prestigious GRAMMY High School Jazz Ensemble and this let him work with Carlos Santana, Dave Koz to name a few.

Chris Turner- Find A Way (Live in NYC) from LightUp Film on Vimeo.
To hear word for word from the man's mouth click [HERE] or maybe a little bio [HERE].
A little you should know about Chris is that he thought about being a chief at one point but music pulled him in and once you fall in love with music, you can only be heartbroken by society's inability to accept you.
Website: http://christurner.bandcamp.com/ :: Twitter: @LOVEchildCT :: Tumblr: http://amourchild.tumblr.com/

A BIT OF THE 70s IN AMORE

AMORE by TINA E.

Amore by Tina E. is a new clothing line that draws from our past to create new and innovative pieces that will inspire the everyday women.

Tina E.

There is a lot of inspiring beauty in her collection. Her play with color both neutral and flamboyant shades can be overwhelming yet pleasing to the eyes. Tina who was born and raised in California takes pride in her roots of the Caribbean and in that you can tell she finds inspiration from the culture.

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DISTANT RELATIVES.TRUTH.

Damien Marley & Nas .
I will admit hip hop isn't what it used to be [most of the music as nice as it is to hear, has no proper thought provocking message and the subliminal message isn't so inspiring]. If you don't know ... the thing about me is that I think a lot about life and 'ish [you know I get my Shakespeare onnn...] but I still like living life spontaneous. And when I first heard "Patience" I kind of got an epiphany of how mankind's dumbed down over the years [not that I haven't succumbed to some of the things that go on]. Damien Marley like his dad is a very deep man and there is wisdom in his lyrics. WATCH AND BE THE JUDGE OF THAT!

DISTANT RELATIVES "Patience" from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.
This is also an amazing video ... the person who directed it is amazing. Need to find out the guy who did this video and Kanye West's Power video ... I suspect it's the same person because it reeks of familiarity.
via overhours.com

A HIGH END SUMMER WITH GIAMBATTISTA VALLI

"is an Italian fashion designer from Rome, Italy."

"Style: For the March 2007 Paris fashion show Valli introduced loose and ample coats which were finely tailored with draped panels that undulated away from the body. His suits were shown with Pilgrim hats. Valli fashioned his suits to be lean and long to the knees, widening at the ankles" - read full biography here

SPRING 2011 COLLECTION:

Came across Giambattista Valli and feel in love, his Spring collection was just so inspiring and just by looking transported me into something I would normally not even consider. Wondering what it is? Well it's a sunny day in France, when the flowers and green is out. Now, I've never been to France but there's just a stereotypical feeling that is associated with France and that's what I feel. 

The coral orange, blue and yellows have been very popular in the Spring/Summer collections so far and Valli's mixture of the nude and the coral orange/yellow just gives these pieces a feel of a sunny day while still preserving the beauty you find in neutral colors.

What I love is that in this collection there was the use of more than just one or two types of colors. The mixture of neutral colors and bright and positive shades when worn allows for confidence [just makes you feel good if ever worn]. These images from style.com do justice for this collection.

Also the shoes that were used in this collection were just phenomenal. I feel so in love with them, to mention one of them, the flats just got to me and they definitely added to the collection, this brought out the collection. This detailing is amazing and shows the genius that is Valli.
Only a man who understand beauty can bring out a quote like this:
"art seduces me more when I do not understand it." - Giambattista Valli

EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!

MELANIE FIONA: Amazing vocals!
I've been watching Melanie grow and her effortless style is something to admire ... her earlier videos were always very home-made like ... she inspired the laidback look ... that I wish my style was built over but I''m more minimalist in my style.
She's with Rocawear and the shots for them are amazing!

Melanie Fiona - It Kills Me