Things Unseen: Busy Signals

When you've been calling on God for weeks, months even...and can't seem to reach Him, what do you do? Keep leaving voicemail? Call again?


Hang up?

Do You Like to Eat?

New Yorkers: If you enjoy not being hungry, read this blog. Just do it. You're welcome.


If you're not into eating (obviously, you're lying), but enjoy looking at pretty pictures of food, still read it. Seriously. The blogger is my go-to person when I'm searching for hot restaurants in the city, and her blog is like a little manual that I can keep in my cyber back pocket. Next time your touristy friends come into town and ask you for recommendations, you can sound like you're in the know and tell them "oh, I know this cute little place..." And, who doesn't want that? Isn't that the reason you live here...trying to convince people that you're cooler and more sophisticated than someone who lives in Idaho?

Kua Designs: For Girls Who Like Color/When Boring Department Stores Are Not Enough

Kua logo featuring cover girl Kemi with her namesake bag. $48.

I've featured one of Ruby Buah's lovely handbags before, but her collection of handbags and jewelry, Kua ("Keeping Us Authentic") Designs, is officially on next level shizzle! After months of waiting, I finally stumbled upon her updated lines of clutches and jewelry, and my general reaction ranged from "wow" to "must.have.NOW." In a day and age where everyone is ripping off African prints and cloth (read: Anthropologie and other unnamed offenders...hey, Anthro, Ghana and Nigeria are not the same country. Thanks...) and claiming to have been "inspired" by African this and African that while charging Rodeo Drive prices, it's really awesome to be able to get one's hands on genuine African couture creations.

What I enjoy most about Kua in general, and this new collection in particular is its blatent, honest opulence. The designs are absolutely decadent, but in an easy, natural way. It's almost as if no effort went into the pieces at all, and they just all happened to turn out absolutely perfect--not so different from stumbling onto a gold mine! In a time of recession, the complex pieces are tasteful in price, but deliciously gaudy to wear, while the simpler pieces are fresh and basic staples suitable for any occasion. My biggest issue with the collection is that there is really no piece that I don't want in my closet, and if I had my way, some of the bags would be hanging on my wall as art (I'm not joking, and don't dare me). As a whole, the collection really is authentic--it's 21st century Africa and Diaspora together in crystal clear micro-cosm--modern, trendsetting, fun, grounded, complicated, true, and full of life and promise.

FAVES

The Calypso collection: Somewhere between graffiti for your body, and a tribute to Makola market, it also remind me of my father's native West Indies and our bejeweled, bedazzled, flashy-nuh-ra@# women...so, you know I need this necklace and bracelet in my life on an IMMEDIATE basis.

Calypso necklace and bracelets...enough to make your eyes fall directly out of your head. Starts at $84.

The Yaaba clutch: Sweet, sweet nectar for the eyes. For the woman who knows her worth...

Yaaba. $70. She speaks for herself, and you want to know her.

More...

Mantebea, from the "Axim" line. $70. And yes, that's dupioni silk--bright yellow dupioni silk. It's hard being a show-stopper. Enjoy.

Flowers of Fuschia earrings. $34.

Dubai bloom earrings. $38.

Akasi, from the "Kumasi" line. $90.

Afua, also from the "Kumasi" line. For the woman who wants to be the life of the party. $102.

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Ekleba flower pin. $5.

I missed the Kua Shop & Mingle event held in NYC this spring due to the demands of my round-the-clock corporate gig, but am begging my sister--who currently lives in Accra--to attend the Shop & Mingle event being held there tomorrow. In honor of Kua's successes, I've featured my favorite pieces from her collection, for your perusal. Madame Buah will be receiving my order shortly, as my birthday is around the corner and this ohemaa plans to step out in true regal style. You, too, can place your orders here. Happy Indulging!

Follow the designer on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates, or find out more about Kua in general on Facebook!

You Better Work: The Utilitarian Boot

Fave Fashion Muse Rihanna in her work boots. Hot!

I'm really into the utilitarian boot trend...mostly just because it always looks so deliciously inappropriate with any outfit when done properly (the irony...). If you're not a fan, I'm sorry for you, because this will definitely be a major look for the late summer and fall. In terms of look, heel hight, and price point, there is just about something for everyone, so unlike many other trends (read: skinny jeans), this one is fairly democratic and egalitarian. To help you take advantage of the opportunity to channel your inner construction worker, I'm presenting the 10 utilitarian boots that I think are the best that the high street currently has to offer.



1. The Nine West "Buren" Boot
I always like to think that I've somehow outgrown Nine West, but they always manage to draw me back in with their magnetic little claws. I first spotted these while shopping with my mom in Montreal last week, and as she can attest, it was love at first sight for me. The Buren fits perfectly into my fashionatrix alter-ego--tough and edgy, yet feminine and ultra sexy. I bought my pair in black (hence, the "atrix" in "fashionatrix"), but you can also get them in a rich dark brown or a two-toned camel. With free shipping and $10 off the purchase from Nine West's website, and with a 1.5" platform, these boots are definitely made for walking. LOVE! $139 before any applicable discounts.


2. The Sam Edelman "Sanford" Boot
These boots are both rude and polite, both semi-formal, and casual, both for the day and a very fashionable night out. Nothing wrong with a little versatility! It would be said of the woman who is fortunate to wear these roach-killers, "when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad, she was horrid"--which is the point, as all empresses should strive to be the best at everything. $275 at Nordstrom.


3. Trouve "Jenna" Boot
These are for bad girls. Buy them (in Whiskey). $129 at Nordstrom.



4. Steve Madden "Harllem" Boot
The shout out to my beloved neighborhood alone is enough to make me run out and grab a pair, but the boot itself is the icing on the cake. They're flat. They're well-priced at $130. They're hot, and you can wear them with anything from teeny weeny shorts to skinnies, to skirts, rompers, and leggings. These are particularly cute with strong shoulders (which, as you know, I love) and boxy sweaters a la the '80s. Alternatively, or in combination, pair with retro chain handbags, elbow length gloves (leather or lace will do), and/or the annoyingly hipster-ish hat of choice. And walk it out like you own the place.


5. Dolce & Gabbana "Torino Mouflon" Boot.
Thousand dollar boots are stupid and unethical, if beautiful, so just drool over these beauties from afar, and judge anyone you see who actually has the gall to wear them.


6. Michael Kors "Joplin" Boot
Grungy, military, chic, comfy, expensive. $425. Smart girls will wait and catch them on sale.

7. Lucky Brand "Blake" Boot
Love it in green. Roll-down cuff is an added bonus, and the affordable price is a definite incentive. $109 at Bloomies.


8. DV by Dolce Vita "Prince" Boot
Fit for an urban princess. Chunky heel adds grit, height, and comfort. $135 at Nordstrom.



9. Boutique 9 "Rivit" Boot
Nine West does it again, with my favorite in the flat boots category. Detailing, texture, and an interesting selection of colors. I fancy the gray. $200 at Nine West's site before applicable discounts.


10. Apepazza "Liverpool" Boot
Super cute in Camel, particularly with the chunky dark brown heel. Construction boot meets pump, with ankle straps--what's not to love? $200 at Nordstrom.

Honorable Mention

BCBG "Max Azria Toby"

Upside: They look like they hurt.
Downside: They look like they hurt.

While we've seen the shoot (shoe-boot) before, this incarnation is intriguing because of the toothed rubber sole. If your knees say yes, go for it! $250.


Dishonorable Mention
Joie "Refugee" Boot
Naming a boot "refugee" is incredibly distasteful. Pricing a so-named boot at $535 is unfathomable, and even mocking. Thumbs down.



Tips
~Check out Endless.com to take advantage of Free Overnight Shipping, featured for several of the featured boots!

~If you can, wait on the Labor Day sales, which are rapidly approaching.

~ Finally, enjoy!

Happy Stomping!

Hope

Hope is the story of today.

Even if this exam doesn't work out, I will work myself out. God will provide for me.


In the meanwhile, I will continue to study.

The New York Bar Exam

...is my excuse for everything: why I can't talk to you, why I'm eating junk food, why I'm not at the gym, why I can't sleep, why I feel like I'm dying, why I feel like I want to die, why I cry all the time, why I'm too busy to pee, why my chest is tight, why I don't give a subway rat's left thigh about any of your problems, why my dreads look like a group of armpit hairs got into a huge and violent fight, why all I can think about is causes of action and admissibility and things like no lo contendre, inter vivos, res ipsa loquitur, fees simple determinable with the possibility of reverter, the Privileges and Immunities Clause, holders in due course, the bloody Rule Against Perpetuities, abstention/adequate and independent state grounds,and "winding up" (even more so than I did before), and finally, why this blog hasn't been updated in ages.


Come back in August. Buh-bye. (*Insert primal scream*)

Who Is Slim Thug, and Why Should We Care?

So, I'm just now hearing about this whole Slim Thug controversy (who is he?) and his opinion that black women need to "do all the shit that [he] say" and lower their standards. Frankly, I'm confused.

Apparently, he's a rapper. I feel really stupid that I'm not more (read: at all) familiar with him, but alas, here we are. Anyway, Mr. Thug had the following take on everyone's favorite topic these days: WHY BLACK WOMEN ARE NOT DESIRABLE AND WILL ALL DIE ALONE WITH 9 CATS AND ARTHRITIS FROM ROLLING THEIR GHETTO NECKS SO MUCH. Says Slim in a recent interview with Vibe magazine:

It’s hard to trust a Black woman [sometimes] because a lot of Black women’s mind frame is that the man gotta do everything for her; he gotta pay for this, he gotta pay for that, and if it ain’t about money then a lot of them ain’t fu*king with him…

“Most single Black women feel like they don’t want to settle for less. Their standards are too high right now. They have to understand that successful Black men are kind of extinct… It’s hard to find us so Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more…”

“My girl is Black and White. I guess the half White in her is where she still cooks and do all the shit that I say, so we make it. She just takes care of me and I like that. She don’t be begging and I don’t gotta buy her all this crazy ass shit. And she’s a smart girl too… I’ve dated girls that will buy a $3,000 bag and don’t know how to pay it off on their credit cards. They walk around in these Louis Vuittons and red bottoms but they’re riding around in raggedy cars, so it’s just getting your priorities right.”

“White women treat they man like a king and Black women feel like they ain’t gotta do that shit. Black women need to stand by their man more. Don’t always put the pressure of if I’m fucking with you, you gotta buy me this and that. Black men are the ones that motherfuckers need [but] I think a lot of them need to step it up too…

Oh...I get it, Mr. Thug...not only are you not a fan of black women, which is your right, but you also think that white women are doormats who are incapable of possessing self-esteem! You're basically racist AND sexist...and a Neanderthal. Sooooooo sexy!!!


From what I gather, this has caused somewhat of a firestorm on the black blogosphere, but it's hard for me to take insults from rappers seriously...particularly when I am clueless as to what it is for which they're "famous". However, I do have a couple of questions regarding the distinguished gentleman's thoughts:

1) Is slamming back women some kind of new trend or something? I mean seriously, what gives? Is the media actively looking for an anti-Michelle Obama? Is this some black guys' version of Tea Party-style conservative backlash...decades of unjustified anger and resentment towards women boiling over because their wee-wees/salaries/senses of self-respect are too small?

2) When he says that I need to lower my standards, does he mean to imply that I should be willing to talk to black male individuals who wear Bluetooths instead of wanting to sentence them to hard labor just for being tacky? That's a tall order, and something I'm neither willing nor able to achieve. Or, am I still not doing enough? Should I be keeping it all the way real and cruising the state penitentiary for Mr. Right? Or, fasting and praying for God to send me a Chris Brown?

And does he also mean to imply that I as a black woman am somehow wedded to the idea of being involved with only black men, especially those as intellectual and well-spoken as himself?


Finally, 3) will someone please tell me wtf a Slim Thug is? Was he popular before 1998 (i.e., when I started listening to secular music)? Why is his name Slim when he looks like a linebacker? Why is he still wearing cornrows? Does any of this even matter?


*Shrugs*

If someone wants to fill me in apropos the identity and significance of this verbose individual, I'd be grateful...but don't break your backs, people. I'm actually more interested in the (white) hotness that is Jackson Hurst, and that's real talk.

Vom.

Nom.