Last week I started going through my Instagram pictures. While scrolling through photos from this year, it became apparent that 2013 was an EXTREMELY busy year but nothing short of amazing! I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the great things that happened both professionally and personally, as well as identify some of the lessons I learned from this year’s experiences.

The biggest milestone I experienced this year for A Diva State of Mind, LLC was my brand becoming trademarked. Seriously, that could NOT have happened without the help of my mom. She was truly a blessing during the process. I’ll admit it’s still a little shocking to know that A Diva State of Mind, LLC is official. I can really put the ®after the name!

I always wondered how bloggers got to model looks on the local morning shows and then I became one of them! I started the year modeling gowns for the WUSA9 Inauguration Gowns Segment and ended the year modeling for the WUSA9 Holiday Accessories Segment.  In March, I submitted my application to be the Style Setter for the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. Although I wasn’t selected, I want to THANK YOU all for voting! Was I disappointed I wasn’t selected? Yes, but like I’ve learned before, everything opportunity that comes my way isn’t for me.  I know I have to keep pressing on and what is meant to be will be. 

When it comes to my styling business, I’m thankful for is the increase in the number of clients I had this year. Last year, I worked with two clients and this year I worked with seven new clients. I have a habit of downplaying accomplishments when I feel like they’re too small or not reflective of where I want to be. For example, if my goal is to be a full-time stylist, I may have brushed off the fact that I’m still styling clients on the side while working a 9 to 5. What I have learned is that each accomplishment no matter how small is important and should be acknowledged as such. Everything takes time and it’s important to focus less on the destination and really take time to enjoy the journey. And I am enjoying the journey thus far!

Through the blog, I was able to catch the attention of the National University Quantico Online Information Center.  I was asked to participate in their Improve Your Groove Series and thus challenged to give my first style presentation. I found out that evening that the event organizer found my website by searching for personal stylists in the DC area. That was a reminder that you really never know who is watching you.

The increase in business and request to give a style presentation also prompted me to move my styling services to a new website www.styledbykeri.com. The new website allows me to neatly display all services available and my portfolio (please check it out if you’re considering working with a stylist in 2014. The first style consultation is free).

I continued working with Facon Magazine this year and styled an editorial for the Spring issue. I also had the chance to work with Elaine Luxe Accessories and style looks for the company’s new website. That photo shoot was a lot of fun and I met some amazing women on set. I really hope to work with them again in the near future.

The second biggest milestone for me personally was attending New York Fashion Week in September. I had New York or NYFW on my three previous vision boards (don’t judge me!) so I had to find a way to get there. I didn’t get approved for media credentials but luckily fellow stylist Lauren couldn’t make it to all her shows so I went in her place!   I’m the type to plan but when it came to fashion week, things were a little unexpected. I secured a place to stay and knew I was meeting up with other stylists, but how my day would actually work out was up in the air. I attended shows I hadn’t plan to and ran into people I knew from the DMV but didn’t know I’d see while up there. The uncertainty made the experience fun (and exhausting). You can read about my NYFW experience HERE. Note to self: it’s ok to not have EVERYTHING planned out!

It wasn’t all about A Diva State of Mind this year! While a lot of things happened for by business this year, I sure did keep business with my personal life as well. I attended the 2^nd inauguration of President Barack Obama. I was in graduate school during his first inauguration so I made sure I didn’t miss his second one!!

This year served as the centennial year for my sorority, so I kept busy by attending ALL of the major centennial events that took place this year: Founders Day weekend, Women’s Suffrage March and Convention (check out pictures on my IG page). I join the sorority in 2012, so I was like a kid in the candy store; so excited to be a part of these amazing experiences. I also celebrated my one year Deltaversary!

Not only did I stay busy with Delta events, but 2013 was a great year in music! I attended three concerts this year: Alicia Keys, Jay-z & Justin Timberlake and the Made in America Festival. If you’re going to attend Made in America, please be a fan of large crowds. There were soooooo many people there. But I had a great time; it’s nice to not have to worry about putting on your “best look” all the time. Throw on some shorts (I did make sure I was “festival cute” lol), grab a beer, run into folks you know from the DMV (it seems like every one there) and just enjoy the music. It was my first time attending a music festival of that magnitude. If there are a number of artist at the next Made in America festival that I like, I’ll be there!

Note to self: Always stop and smell the roses!  We all want to live the life we imagine for ourselves. While we work towards making that a reality, it’s important that we take the time to enjoy life along the way.  You already know, life is too short. We must make the most of it while we can. And this year, while I prayed about styling and jumped on every opportunity I could, I also made sure I took time to have FUN!

I don’t want to brag about the things that happened this year. Instead I view this recap as a way to reflect on the year and lessons learned. Hopefully this year in review will serve as inspiration for others who are pursuing their dreams and/or often times find themselves sitting idle on the sidelines while watching others have some of the best times of their lives.

I can’t wait to see what happens in 2014!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year’s Eve 2014 is less than a week away and my inbox has been flooded with emails about NYE parties! Many people like to wait until the last minute to figure out where they’ll be when the clock strikes midnight.  If you are still searching to find the perfect NYE party to attend in DC, here’s a list of 10 parties I’ve received a notification about in the past few weeks.

1. 3rd Annual NYE Masquerade Ball

Tickets on sale now for another fantastic NYE celebration at Ozio.  Doors open at 8pm. General admission tickets are sold out. VIP tickets start at $60 and include VIP Express Entry Access to all Floors including VIP rooftop premium open bar until 11 pm, champagne toast at midnight and complimentary party favors. Bottle service packages are available and are STRONGLY suggested! Add on a food buffet for an additional $15. Available on the main floor 8pm-10pm. Purchase tickets HERE.

2. “The Toast” - A NYE Dinner Party

For those looking to go out but don’t want to attend the “club scene,” the gentleman of J&K Productions and the ladies of Bringing Love Back to the City invite you to dine at “The Toast.” Guest will enjoy a 4-course dinner, endless drinks and fun on the dance floor at Ulah Bistro on U Street.  Limited seating is available - reserve your space by registering today HERE.

3. NYE Celebration at Recess

Urbane DC invites you to join them for a NYE party at Recess. For $50, guests will enjoy Ciroc open bar and unlimited complimentary champagne from 10pm to 1am.  VIP table service is available.  Enjoy music by Grits & Biscuits DJ Square Biz. For more info and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

4. The Billionaire Ball Drop

You are invited to join the Billionaire Ball Drop at Oya Lounge hosted by Sunni & The City of WPGC 95.5  Enjoy complimentary sushi and champagne. Table packages are available.  Click HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.

5. The Washington Wizards Holiday Party X New Years Eve Celebration at Josephine  

The Roaring 1920s was the age of exuberance, indulgence, and luxury. DT Nation cordially invites you to relive the 1920s era in celebration of the New Year with The Washington Wizards at Josephines. Ticket prices start at $50 and include complimentary Belvedere open bar and champagne toast. Bottle service is available. For more information & to purchase tickets, click HERE.

6. JHENE AIKO hosts A Gatsby New Years Eve at LOOK Supperclub

J&K is throwing a Gatsby-like New Years Eve affair at the new LOOK Supperclub in DC. Wear your best as you bring in the new year in royal fashion. Hosted by singer/songwriter Jhene Aiko.  General admission tickets start at $75 and include 1 hour open bar. Table packages are available. For additional information, individual tickets, table reservations click HERE.

7. ReSOULution DC at The Howard Theater

DC to BC and The Howard Theatre invite you join them for a live show featuring Musiq Soulchild from 9pm to midnight followed by an after party with music by DJ Sliink, DJ Spicoli, Mista Selecta and Mane Squeeze. Tickets range from $55-$175 for the live show. The after show tickets general ticket prices are $40.  Click HERE for more info and to purchase tickets.

8. Grandoise NYE Party at Beacon Hotel

Enjoy live entertainment, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and gourmet food stations. There will be 5 rooms of entertainment, heated hookah terrace, party favors and more. Hotel rooms at Beacon are sold out but there are rooms available at the St. Gregory for a special discounted rate. More info HERE.

9. TOKYO New Years Eve Celebration at Cities

Tokyo Metropolis meets DC nightlife. Let the DT Nation geisha girls take care of you when you enter. Relax, unwind while enjoying specialty drinks and complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Ticket prices start at $40.  Bottle service is available. For more info and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

10. New Years Eve Gala 

Inner Caucus & WHUR invite you to their New Year’s Eve Celebration Gala at at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel. five rooms of music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres till 11pm, split bottle of champagne and party favors til midnight. Discounted room rates are available. Click HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.

If these venues won’t work for you, be sure to check out EVENTBRITE for a complete list of parties going on in the city. No matter where you decide to party on NYE, please drink responsibly! SoberRide is available; they offer free rides up to $30 from 10pm t0 6am.

Since dropping her visual album on December 13th, Beyoncé has released a few videos. One of the videos released last week was “Drunk In Love.” For those that have listened to the entire album, I think this song is everyone’s favorite or one of their favorites.

In the video, directed by Hype Williams, Beyoncé and her hubby Jay-Z frolic on the beach in Miami. I wouldn’t be surprised if they really were drunk (or at least tipsy) in love while filming.

Goes back to dancing around my house and singing “I’ve been drankin, I’ve been drankin…”

This season on the Real Housewives of Atlanta, viewers witnessed Cynthia undergo surgery for fibroids.  The fibroids had caused bloating (she sometimes looked pregnant), discomfort, pain and no desire to have sex. Since she had experienced these symptoms for awhile, I would hope that her husband would be sympathetic and interested in understanding what her options were to have them removed so she could live a life free of those symptoms.

Unfortunately, that last statement doesn’t apply to Cynthia’s husband, Peter Thomas. During an episode of the show, while Cynthia complained about being bloated and discussed going to see a doctor, Peter joked about how she looked and made light of the situation.  Not too long after Cynthia had surgery to have the fibroids removed, Peter asked when they would be able to have sex again.  Sir, can your wife’s uterus heal first before you start worry about sex?? *side eye*

But what really made me go “huh?” was a recent interview Peter and Cynthia gave to Life & Style Magazine.  During the interview, Cynthia revealed that had she not had surgery this year, she and Peter wouldn’t have made it. “We’d be divorced for sure” she says. And Peter agreed, “I know we would’ve been done. There is absolutely no way we could have survived another year if things hadn’t changed” (things meaning not having sex consistently).  There were times they’d go three months without sex and at one point, Peter considered having his sexual needs fulfilled elsewhere, “Me and my buddies were planning a trip to Venezuela because nobody knows us there, ” he shared.

Luckily for them, Cynthia is healthy and their area lot more intimate now. But what happened to those vows they took when they got married? “In sickness and in health.” Seriously, Peter’s wife is suffering from painful fibroids and he’s worried about having his sexual needs met by some randoms in Venezuela??  What if she had a more serious condition like cancer?!

It’s quite disappointing to hear a man say he’d cheat on his wife because he was not having sex regularly due to her health condition. Newsflash Peter, everything isn’t going to be perfect in your marriage and it’s not going to always be about you!

Marriage is supposed to be sacred. You’re supposed to be faithful to your spouse and the vows you took. If you can’t be there for your significant other through the worst of times, maybe you shouldn’t get married.

But hey, I’m single. What do you I know?

What do you think? Was Peter justified? Ladies, what would you do if you were Cynthia?

You’re invited to join BET and DC blogger Naseya Minor of TheSeventhDistrict.com for the Being Mary Jane Holiday Glam Nail Salon on Friday, December 27th at The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. This event is free and open to all. Attendees will enjoy complimentary manicures, beauty products and more!

If you’re not in DC, no worries! The Holiday Glam Nail Salon presented by Revlon will be traveling to New York, Atlanta, Miami and Houston. Click here for upcoming tour dates.

After premiering earlier this year, Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union returns to BET on January 7th! Can’t wait!

Yesterday, I posted a few pics Rihanna posted from her new Balmain Spring 2014 Campaign. She has graced us with more pictures from the campaign that will appear as ads starting in January.  

Seriously, if bad girl Ri Ri ever decided to stop making music she could have a career as a model. Gorgeous!

Source: Rihanna’s Instagram

The fabulous and stylish Kelly Rowland was spotted shopping with Tina Knowles aka Ms. Tina in LA in a $359 6397 Hidden Placket Denim Jumpsuit (originally $595), $1,250 Tom Ford Ankle-Wrap Pumps and a leather cap. While I was able to find a plethora of denim overalls (yes 90s fashion is making a comeback), there aren’t very many denim jumpsuit options available at a lower price point. I did find two and of course one is from Zara. They are always so on trend!

Zara offers a denim jumpsuit for $119:

Nordstrom offers a Citizens of Humanity denim jumpsuit in a darker wash for $298:

You can recreate the rest of the Kelly Rowland’s look with these pieces below:

More DKNY…

Based on the price, the denim jumpsuit will be an investment for many, however it serves as a great option for the spring and fall season. You can pair it with heels to dress it up like Kelly did. The jumpsuit would be a great outfit to travel in and can be dressed down with wedge sneakers or flats. I really like the pants rolled up; very similar to wearing boyfriend jeans.

Heidi Klum wore the 6397 Hidden Placket Denim Jumpsuit with sneakers back in October:

What do you think of denim jumpsuits? Would you wear Kelly Rowland’s look?

One of my favorite songs from Beyoncé’s new self titled album is “***Flawless.”  On the song, Beyoncé samples Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TED talk. Adichie says:

We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller / We say to girls – you can have ambition, but not too much/ You should aim to be successful but not too successful otherwise you will threaten the man / Because I am female I am expected to aspire to marriage / I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important / A marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support / But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same? / We raise girls to see each other as competitors not for jobs or for accomplishments / Which I think can be a good thing / But for the attention of men / We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are / Feminist: A person who believes in the economic, social and political equality of the sexes.

AMEN!

I had never heard of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie until the song. But after listening to the snippet, I’m interested in what she has to say.  Here’s her full TED talk given this past April:

1. Adichie gave her first TED talk, called “The Danger of a Single Story,” in 2009. She tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.” Watch it here.
2. Her novel  Americanah has appeared on many book critics “Best Of” lists for 2013.
3. Additional novels under her belt include Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, as well as a book of short stories titled The Thing Around Your Neck. 

 Looks like I need to create a new list of books to read in 2014! You can watch the ***Flawless video HERE.

Source: The Frisky

Saturday afternoon, I had the pleasure serving as a cohost of the Mdurvwa Collection Holiday Pamper & Shop Party. The event was held at Marrakech Lounge in DC. Guest enjoyed drink specials courtesy of PYNK Magazine, indulged in delicious cupcakes by Kakewalk Cupcakes (aka Kedakakes), received manicures and shopped the Mdurvwa Collection. Celebrity stylist Apuje Kalu was on hand to talk about trends, provide style advice and give insight into the life of a stylist.

I had a great time mingling with everyone! I want to say thank you to those that attended despite the cold and rainy weather. All of us involved really appreciate your support!

Check out a few pictures from the event:

Check out www.mdurvwa.com to shop the collection. There are a lot of pieces on sale!

Shout out  to Omar for sending me the link about this fashion news on Twitter yesterday. I was surprised and excited to see that Ms. Erykah Badu is the newest face of the new Givenchy Spring 2014 campaign.  How does Kanye feel about this?

According to Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, choosing Ms. Badu to be apart of his campaign was an easy choice:

“Erykah, she’s an icon—come on! What I want to do with my advertising campaign is spread the love. Already now it’s been three seasons that I’ve been using people that express something—they are great artists, or beautiful women, or stylish women, or models that I really believe in. It’s kind of a family portfolio.”

What’s even more exciting is that all of the models in the new Spring 2014 Campaign are women of color. YES!!

“There was a lot of talk this season in fashion,” Tisci said. “Me, I was one of the persons who ended up not being touched by this. I discovered Joan Smalls, I discovered Maria [Borges]. I discovered a lot of black girls, and I’ve been always supporting them. For me, I grew up in a family and I grew up in a culture, an education, that we all are the same.” 

We still have a long way to go, but great strides were made this year to feature more models of color on the runway. Tisci hasn’t been shy about using women of color for his runway shows or campaigns. When asked if he thinks the world will catch on, he said:

“I hope so. It’s 2013. Everybody’s being so cool about Instagram, about Facebook, any media—everybody’s being so open. At the end of the day, why are not so many black girls or Latin girls in shows? When you have an American president who is black! When I see this happening, it’s quite sad, I think. People can be so avant-garde, so advanced, but actually not, because people are still making differences between skin color.”

I wish more people thought that way. Kudos to you Riccardo Tisci! I can’t wait to see the entire campaign!

Source: Style.com