The color scheme in my living room is so gorgeous. 3 walls are painted with Behr’s “Antique Tin” – a smokey grayish-blueish hue. Very muted and elegant. And there’s a bright orange accent wall. Complementary colors I’m working with are: mocha, honey, cream and fuchsia. The former three colors I have enough in my collection to work with what I’ve got. But Fuchsia. Fuchsia. First of all, I had to find out how to even spell fuchsia. And now to figure out clever ways to incorporate it into my decor. Some inspiration:
Trinidad Carnival is upon us. And yes, ladies and gents…i am going. Finally! I have wanted to go to Trinidad Carnival ever since I went to my very first carnival back in 1994 on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. My dear friend Tamara, a Trini, was the first to tell me that Trinidad’s Carnival is THE BEST Carnival in the world. 16 years later, I’ve received nothing but confirmation about this fact. My appetite for baccanal came in 2007 when I made my first visit to Trinidad. I rung in the new year on the streets of Marabella, where Mango fell from the tree in front of the house where I was staying on Jack street. After soaking up the sun in Tobago,and eating nuff doubles, I spent my last night at Fire Fete – one of the early pre-carnival celebrations. And … W-o-W! Hands down THE BEST party I have ever been to in my life. Ever. The spirit of carnival – the pride and honor of unity – and mind you, the party was thrown by the national fire department. The police department has its party, as does EMS. Can you imagine getting down with the NYPD? I most definitely cannot. That was my official introduction to “love for country”.
But more importantly, there are fabulous costumes:
So many options. So much freedom, flyness and sexuality. I’m all the way in. But i need a little help getting my ish together. Most bloggers say I’m way late in my preparations. They must not know how efficient a producer I am.
So, remember how I was all in love with Chanel and decided that this year I would make my way towards purchasing my first piece of Chanel? Well, that mission was happily accomplished not too long ago. But now, I’m feeling an urge to move on…to a new design team.
My next goal in fashion is to obtain my first piece of Hermes.
I’ve got my eye on:
Let me explain this obsession to those of you who may not fully understand…
I have always had a deep appreciation for style in women’s wear. As a child I always had my preferences, as I’m sure any child does, for which types of clothing I would wear. As I entered adolescence, I found myself experimenting with unconventional looks to express my daily states of being – much to the shock and humor of my classmates at JHS 168 in Queens. The ridicule and scorn, teasing, the isolation, the egg thrown on top of my head, were all part of my defiance in defending this artistic expression of the self by way of fashion. Rocking bell bottoms and platform sneakers in 1992 wasn’t the hippest thing to do. And if I may toot my own horn, it took a tremendous amount of guts to simply be myself amidst a world where everyone was trying to “fit in” (and later bite my style, no hate).
High school was different for me. I went to an arts high school that was home to all the other people like me, so I felt free to dress as I pleased, experimenting with fabrics and materials and shapes. I actually had a hot pink rubber mini A-line skirt. In an environment that appreciated and reflected my own artistry, I felt unshackled. Until, of course, I got off the F train and had to board the Q2 bus back home. My peers in Queens were definitely not feeling me. But I didn’t care. I never cared.
And I’ve blossomed into an adult who is known for being “stylish”. And that is all right with me. I’m grateful to have come from a family of such incredibly stylish, graceful and beautiful women who have definitely helped shape my appreciation for this particular aesthetic form. For decades, I have had a keen appreciation for high fashion. I go through magazines and fashion websites, I attend shows at fashion week – and for the most part, I’ve used these showcases as inspiration and later find myself at thrift stores, discount stores, lower-end retailers, my grandmother’s closet, clothing swaps, my own room with some scissors and a needle and thread – creating my desired looks. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy this type of DIY and on-a-dime fashion sensibility and will continue to employ these tactics – but as I grow, I really do like to adorn myself with elegant attire from super creative houses of fashion. It’s been a long time coming, and I’ve definitely paid my dues!
Oh and in case you were wondering, yes, I would like to eventually move into equestrian arts – so this jump cap is part of an outfit in formation.
When it comes to real estate, I’ve definitely had my fair share of rustic “pre-war” urban appeal. Exposed brick. Original hardwood floors. Marble fireplaces. Moulding. Fifth floor walk up. You name it, I’ve lived in it. And it has been quite lovely, actually. I’ve felt the history of my residences – too many to count – that I’ve lived in throughout these glorious twenties.
But alas, Saturn is returning. I’ve got about seven months left of this care-free decade. And I’m so comfortable in knowing that. I feel my life changing in many ways. I’m wiser. Freer. Still the same zany, sometimes hesitant (though lesser now than before), dreamer I’ve always been – just, as my friend Mike said a few weeks back during a chance encounter, “with more swag”.
And speaking of swag, I think its time I mark this growth with a change in my living arena. I want a sexy apartment. Sleek. Modern. A step toward living in a sculpture. I’ve never lived in my own apartment. Well, I subletted a studio by myself for a semester in college and hated it (I got sick early one morning and had to call an ambulance on myself). But I think now I’m ready to get my grown woman on, say goodbye to roommates and hello to some swankiness
I mean, I just wonder what it’d be like to wake up to this…
Clean lines. Imagine that. For me, it really is all about the kitchen.
I just spent some QT with Andrea waxing fantastic over bridges. It’s really something to hear a civil engineer poetically describe the function of bridges…spiritual, aesthetic, physical, economical, familial…
Bridges can change a culture, expand a way of life. Provide access for trade, cultural exchange. Allow travel. The 59th street bridge, for example, connected Queens to Manhattan, turning a dairy farmland into a suburb. And in parts of the world, small islands would stagnate. Lots of inbreeding, etc. But with a bridge came cute foreigners.
Of course, bridges also have negative stories attached to them. Which is the bridge in the Bronx that was built on top of a community? Was it the Cross Bronx Expressway (the “Cro-Bro”)? Imagine the block where you live – you have your neighbors across the street, and maybe two blocks away is your uncle’s friend, and around the corner is where you buy your candy. Then suddenly, your corner which was once home to a glorious magnolia tree is now a piece of a very large bridge. That part sucks.
But when a bridge is built with consideration, and care, thought and great skill, backed up with experience…it can be an incredible landmark.
There’s a company out of Tallahassee, Florida that specializes in the design and erection of bridges across the country. New Yorkers can note their work – the new AirTrain bridge is theirs. The company has recently been taken over by the founder’s daughter. And she’s added a feminine touch to bridge building that is refreshing and exciting. She has introduced a series of workshops with members of the community in which a bridge is being built to discuss the essence of the town…the culture and considerations. The history. This way, the people are involved in the project so that the bridge can fit in well with what is already there – sometimes even using the natural elements found in the landscape within the bricks. Part of the scenery – not a sore thumb.
Which gets me to thinking…there is good and there is bad in all things. When it comes to business…you’ll have lots of both. People are starting to move more towards the good now, with fair trade and the sort. But I wonder…for the first time in my life, if I can really learn to forgive the ills of the business world? Weigh the good with the bad, just as I do for individuals? Just a thought…
And in other bridge news, have you heard of Gallopin’ Gertie? I can’t quite explain the physics behind it (yet), but basically, we all know that any large man-made structure has the ability to sway, right? Skyscrapers, bridges – they all sway a bit just to allow for interaction with the wind, as opposed to resistance. Apparently, the ‘sway allowance’ is much higher than we’d be comfortable with knowing. In fact, many structures are built to sway less than they actually could, not for safety reasons, just for the psychological soundness of us human beings. But this bridge in Tacoma Narrows has just gone too, too far. Eventually the thing collapsed in the wind. You have to see it to believe it….the bridge is straight rockin and rollin!
