A Diva State of Mind

Fashion Night out is one week away!  To celebrate this fabulous day of enjoying treats and shopping your favorite retailers around the city, SNOBSWOP and TARI Boutique are hosting a Glamourazzi Makeover Contest.  Four lucky ladies will win free makeovers from head to toe and will star in their own photo shoot on Fashion’s Night Out at TARI Boutique in Georgetown. The four winners will be styled by yours truly, me!!

The contest ends tonight at midnight so follow these easy steps to enter NOW:

1. Sign up for www.snobswap.com

2. Like the SNOBSWAP page on Facebook www.facebook.com/snobswap and leave them a comment, I love SNOBSWAP & FNO DC!

3. Follow SNOBSWAP on Twitter @snobswap and tweet “Love @SNOBSWAP & @FNOGeorgetown #FNO”

GOOD LUCK! Hopefully I’ll be styling one of you next Thursday!

Disclaimer: You’ll see a few posts about this event until it’s party time!

I can’t believe A Diva State of Mind turns three in two weeks!! When I started this blog in 2009, I had no idea I’d still be blogging or that the site would help me uncover my true passion of working as a personal stylist. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read the blog no matter how often you do.  I appreciate your readership and support over the years.

Last year, I won the 2011 Black Weblog Award for Best Lifestyle Blog. While that seemed like the perfect time to have a huge celebration, I kept it small by attending Park Unplugged with a few friends and really used that time to think about what I wanted to do in the future.

But this year, we’re celebrating!!!  Not only have I been blogging for three years, but this year I also met with new clients for my personal styling business. 

On Tuesday, September 11, 2012 from 6-10pm please join me for an anniversary party happy hour and fundraiser for Dress for Success Washington, DC on the Rooftop at Ozio.  Earlier this year I told you that Dress for Success Washington, DC launched the “10 Campaign” to celebrate their 10 year anniversary.  In honor of the 10 year anniversary, Dress for Success Washington, DC is asking supporters to donate $10 on the 10^th day of each month (we’ll be a day late at the party but that’s ok).  Your donation will support three signature programs:

• Wardrobe suiting for interviews and jobs
• Career Center
• Professional Women’s Group

The goal of the campaign is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year for the DC location.   At the anniversary party, guest will enjoy happy hour food & drink specials and will have the opportunity to shop accessories from local designers. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Dress for Success Washington,DC.  A representative from the DC location will be in attendance to collect donations from anyone interested in making a direct monetary donation or clothing donation of gently worn suits, tops, shoes and/or accessories.

The first 50 guest will also enjoy gift bags from generous sponsors!

I hope you are all able to attend. I’d love to celebrate another great year of success with you and support Dress for Success Washington,DC.  Please RSVP HERE.

YES YES YES to this week’s Rolling Out Magazine cover!! Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker are hot and in love.  I look forward to experiencing a love like this.

Can you describe for us what it was like when you first realized that you loved each other?

Nicole: Boris might have a different version, but from my side there was immediate chemistry, and that’s not necessarily sexual. It was just immediate understanding, flow of conversation, intellect, and an instant trust….The great thing is that we really were friends first.  When you’re shooting 14 hours a day on a set, you see a lot.  He saw me when my eyebrows weren’t tweezed and when my gray hair came in, and when I was in my pajamas at five in the morning going into the dressing room. So we had no choice but to be really real from the very beginning.

Your thoughts Boris?

Boris:  What she said was so true and poetic. We had instant chemistry, and right away there was an attraction, but it was more on a spiritual level.  I knew right away that she was going to be in my life forever.  I didn’t know in what capacity, but I just felt that.  That just happens when you meet a person that is on the same wavelength.  We saw eye-to-eye on so many things.  She was open minded, well traveled, and had a great sense of humor — which are all very important to me.  The fact that she became my wife was definitely a bonus.  It worked because we were friends and liked each other as people first, which is very important in a relationship.  You can fall in and out of love, but if you like each other as people, then I think that’s a great foundation to grow a relationship, and we had that, so I’m very lucky. 

Here’s the last question for each of you to answer:  “I’m a better person today than I was before marriage because…”

Boris: I’m a better person today than I was before marriage because my wife makes me a better man.

Nicole: I’m a better person today than I was before marriage because I get to care about one of the greatest human beings on the planet.

Click here to see more pictures and read the full interview. Kodjoe and Parker discuss married life and parenting while juggling successful acting careers.

Words and Images: by DeWayne Rogers Hair: Derek J Makeup: Dionne Wynn Wardrobe:  Leah Taylor and Renee Brown

Source: Rolling Out Magazine

Alleyhouse Entertainment presents the fashion event “Polaroid Beach” on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012 at New York Avenue Beach Bar from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. featuring a performance from critically acclaimed soul garage band, Black Alley.

This exclusive event will gather the top influencers in music, fashion, art and photography to converge on the most-talked about outdoor concept bars in the DMV area. “Polaroid Beach” will be hosted by award-winning fashion writer Fashion Citizen and Clothiers Mila & Fire. Renowned photographer, Thomas Sayers Ellis, has been commissioned to capture visuals from the event that will be included in the “Polaroid Beach” coffee table book, which will be released Spring 2013.

When discussing the inspiration behind the event concept, Alleyhouse Entertainment founder, Omar Kashif, explains, “I was inspired by the concept of ‘DOWNTOWN 500′; a crew of NYC kids including artist Jean-Michel Basquiat that were known for having a major influence on the music and arts culture during the late 70′s and early 80′s. Based on their story, I was compelled to recreate those moments in present time by merging the best of DC’s fashion, art and music industries for an event. I want to get folks together in our element, get good stills shots that will share the story of the experience and add Black Alley’s one-of-a-kind sound as the musical backdrop. This event is my effort to capture history.”

For more information or to RSVP for the event visit polaroidbeachdc.eventbrite.com.

Asia and Ashley Matthew had mentally prepared to be separated for the first time after graduating from Xavier University.  Asia was accepted into the University of Massachusetts Medical School Program, an eight year program plus residency where students can earn both a MD and PhD.   This is a very tough program that only accepts seven to ten students every year.

But Asia wasn’t the only one accepted into the program.  Her twin sister Ashley was also accepted, so this fall the Matthew sisters will be studying biomedical research together.   They continued to beat the odds by earning a FULL scholarship for the eight year program!! #WINNING

“I was ecstatic. I was really happy” said Ashley. “My sister and I were jumping up and down.  We fell over and ended up tripping each other because we were so happy. We didn’t think it would happen and it did.”

Upon completion of the program, the ladies plan to give back to their community. They hope to one day own and operate a hospital for low-income residents.

“There are people who don’t have adequate health care. So just to open a hospital dedicated towards that…that should be anybody’s goal who wants to be a MD. To serve for a greater purpose,” says Asia.

Congratulations Asia and Ashley! Good luck on your journey to earn a MD and PhD.  There is no doubt they’ll excel in this program and one day open a hospital.  I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we hear of the Matthew sisters.

Do you know  a Diva that should be highlighted in the Diva Spotlight? Email me at keri{at}adivastateofmind.com

This week, Trey Songz released his new album “Chapter V.” VH1 was hosting an “Ask Trey” session where people could send in questions and one of them might get asked.  To take advantage of the opportunity to have Trey Songz address his most recent single, I tweeted the following question:

For those that are unfamiliar with the song, here’s the chorus:

 I first saw this video on an entertainment blog. The beat dropped, I saw T.I. so I got excited; Trey Songz was releasing another great song that will be played at very party! But when it got to the chorus, I paused.   “Why do we have to be called b*tches?”  Ladies and drinks sounds soooo much better and I’m sure no one wants to be referred to as a b.  Plus, wasn’t he just singing about love on his last single? “2 Reasons” will be one song I just listen to on the radio or out at a party.  I can’t take hearing that chorus over and over again. 

But Songz isn’t the only artist to refer to women as b*tches and he won’t be the last. Hip-Hop and some R&B music is filled with this word and misogynistic imagery.  And let’s keep it real; as much as we (women) complain about it, we still listen to it on the radio, purchase the music on iTunes and sing it in the club.  As many people that hate it, there are just a few more who don’t mind it because “it is just a song” or “they only like the song because of the beat.”  I’ll be the first to admit I have some Hip-Hop offenders on my iTunes.  And as offensive as these songs can be, the real problem we face is when this type of music begins to affect the behavior of men and women. 

Lupe Fiasco released a video called “B*tch Bad” addressing what happens when this mentality of a “bad b*tch” infiltrates to the minds of young children.  Girls grow up thinking a tight skirt and pretty face is what is desired while boys think it is a term of endearment leading to the miscommunication between the sexes.  That is part of the reason why we see women today calling each b*thes and guys referring to women as one.  And as much as we listen to it and just let it brush off our shoulders, at the end of the day, it is not a compliment and the messages that are portrayed today have the power to influence the way we interact with each other.  

Lupe Fiasco, thank you for this!

What do you think of the word b*tch and Lupe Fiasco’s video?

With cuffin’ season right around the corner and many of us participating in the 2012 Dating Challenge, going out on dates is in full swing and can become expensive over time.

Last month, Single Black Males posed this question on their site: Should Women Date Men Who Pay For Dates With Coupons?  When I first saw the title of the article, I thought “Is that a real question? Of course!” There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using a coupon on a date.  But I guess the question was asked because some women don’t appreciate guys using coupons. *shrug*

With sites like Living Social, Groupon, Capital Deal, Scoutmob and more offering great deals for various activities that would be great dates, coupons are a great way to have a good time without spending a lot of money. Dating gets expensive, especially if you’re dating multiple people at once, so why not save some pennies if you can?

I don’t remember which site it was, but one was offering a deal on Fandango, 2 tickets for $9. I purchased those quick and sure did ask a guy out to dinner and the movies.  I’m not sure if I told him I only spent $9 on our movie tickets that would’ve cost over $20 in total, but I had no shame!

Dates should be simple. The focus should be on having a good time and getting to know someone.  If  Living Social is offering a deal to get $50 worth of food for $25 at Park or a discount for a festival or fun activity,  buy the deal and go on a date!  I would hope  your date’s focus is on getting to know you and the experience and not on whether or not you paid full price.

Personally, I’m a simple girl. Go ahead and use that $10 coupon for a meal at Outback or Fridays (can we talk about the vanilla bean cheesecake?!?!).  I’m interested in spending time having fun and getting to know you. I could care less h0w much the date cost.

Would you date someone who uses coupons on dates? Or does the use of coupons make them look cheap?

National Harbor is holding its inaugural Sample Sale featuring merchandise up to 70% off!  Score great deals on clothing, shoes, accessories, gifts, artwork and much more.  Participating retailers include Angst, Blink Blanco, Critique Boutique, The Dandelion Patch, Hats in the Belfry, Jos. A Bank, Occasions to Remember, S.O.A.P., SimplySoles, The Maris Elaine Gallery, and The Black Dog!

Date: Saturday, August 25^th

Time: 11:00am-6:00pm

Location: 181 American Way (just a few steps away from Nando’s Peri Peri)

With designer names like Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Ark & Co., BB Dakota, Lillybee, Collective Concepts, Daniel Rain, THML, Angie, Very Bradley, Crane & Co., and countless more, you can’t afford to miss National Harbor’s Sample Sale!

It’s hard to think about fall while temperatures are still in the 80s and 90s but before you know it the seasons will change. Now is the perfect time to start creating an inventory of key pieces you need.

One item you’ll most certainly want to have is a leather jacket; a definite must have!! If you don’t have one, I’d recommend purchasing a black one first. It’s a neutral, goes with everything and will never go out of style.

Leather jackets are great for when the weather is transitioning from summer to fall and can be worn with literally everything! They can add sophisticated edginess to classic, tailored looks or you can wear them with your favorite boyfriend jeans on a casual day.  You can transition your summer dresses to fall by wearing them with a leather jacket, scarf and booties.

Check out the looks below for inspiration on how to wear a leather jacket this fall. I’ve also included suggestions on where to purchase one. There are a plethora of jackets available in a range of price points.  I know some may be discouraged by the idea of paying more than $150 for a leather jacket, however if you’re going to purchase real leather, it’s worth it.  You’ll wear a leather jacket more than you think, meaning your cost per wear will be zero!

More Asos…

 
You may not be into leather, but want the look. Check out these faux leather options:

More Blank…

Another great resource to find a leather jacket at a deep discounted price is a local thrift or consignment shop.

Clutch Magazine post Wise Words just about every day. While they’re all great, some stand out more than others like this one.

“Decide that you won’t allow the whims of others to dictate how you feel about yourself—for real, for real.

While others are certainly entitled to their opinions, you’re entitled to living your life on your own terms, and if what they’re saying wrecks your flow or makes you feel less than….keep on moving and don’t even give a damn about it.” - Britini Danielle, Clutch Magazine

Happy Friday!