A Diva State of Mind

A few years ago I came across the Dareen Hakim collection via social media. I loved collection of handbags and clutches so I reached out to designer Dareen Hakim for an interview (read it here). Since that interview, I kept in touch with Dareen and her team and last October I finally had a chance to meet her!

On a nice October day, I caught an early bus to NYC to visit. I arrived in the city around 1pm and headed straight to the Dareen Hakim offices. Dareen and her Marketing Director  Farah were so pleasant! We had a great time sitting around talking for hours about the collection, styling, fashion and more!

Farah introduced the current collection to me and allowed me to take a look at each piece. Dareen Hakim pieces are currently sold in 30 countries and 300 stores including  Charmed Boutique in Georgetown. I was impressed when I first saw the collection online; I was even more impressed seeing it in person. Sumptuous leathers, arabesque calligraphy, dramatic hues all form the basis of style for each creation. 

I had a great time taking a day trip to NYC to visit Dareen Hakim and Farah! I hope to visit them again this year.

Be sure to check out the entire FW13/SS14 collection HERE.

As much as I love scarves, I’m not very creative in the way I wear them.

Wendy of Wendy’s Lookbook created a great 4.5 minute video on how to wear scarves in 25 different ways. I remember seeing this video a few years ago when it first came out, and I was reminded of it when a client asked about different ways to wear scarves. I definitely need to bookmark this video!

This morning (5:30am to be exact), I joined four other fabulous ladies to model for WUSA9 holiday accessories segment. Since this is the season of holiday parties, it’s very easy to get caught up and spend a lot of money on clothes.  Instead of feeling like you have to create a new look from head to toe, the segment focused on using accessories to take the dresses you currently have in your closet to the next level.

All of us “models” wore dresses that we had in our wardrobe. All jewelry, handbags and shoes featured are from Bishop Boutique , which is located in Old Town Alexandria.  If you’re looking to jazz up your accessories collection, I recommend checking out the boutique. They really have some great pieces!

Check out pictures and the video from today’s segment:

Tonya of Elaine Luxe accessories needed new photos for her website and she asked me, makeup artist Jeneal Davis, hair stylist Camille, Natasha of The Weave Whisperer and Kiyanna to come together to help her create new looks for her site!

Two weeks ago, we met bright and early in Old Town Alexandria.  And yes I do mean bright and early; 6am to be exact! While Jeneal and Camille worked on makeup and hair, I put together looks for the models.  For this shoot, we used clothes from my closet and Tonya’s closet (you do what you gotta do)! For the first look, prints served as the backdrop to the Elaine Luxe accessories. The second look complimented the smokey eye makeup Tonya wanted the models to wear.

Check out some behind the scene photos:

After dressing the models, we hit the streets of Old Town. Natasha and Kiyanna sure do know how to give face!! Modeling for these two was effortless!

Here are the final photos by photographer Brian Hoeg:

The new website for Elaine Luxe launched on Monday! The brand is for those who want to make a statement when they get dressed. Elaine Luxe accessories take ordinary outfits to the next level! Please check out the entire collection of handcrafted accessories at www.elaineluxe.com!

I had a great time working with this team on the photo shoot. It was really a lot of fun! Thank you Tonya for selecting me to style the looks for your site; I hope to work with you again soon

Thank you all for entering the AiKan Bijoux giveaway for a chance to win the all black bracelet set.

The winner of the giveaway is…

Congratulations Khalilah! You will receive an email from me in the next 24 hours.

For those that didn’t win, no worries.  There’s still time left to enter the giveaway to win a hair/body products gift basket from Endless Touch. Click HERE to enter!

The legendary Fashion Director and style icon Anna Dello Russo has teamed up with H&M for her own Anna Dello Russo at H&M accessories collection.   In true Anna style, the collection is full of fun and bold statement pieces that you can use to easily elevate a look.   The collection includes earrings, bracelets, necklaces, clutches, shoes and sunglasses.

The collection will be available in select stores on Thursday, October 4th.  My favorite pieces from the collection are the bracelets and a coral and gold statement necklace (not shown above but listed online).  For more information about pieces from the collection, click HERE.

Photos: Because I Am Fabulous

In honor of the anniversary party and the fundraiser for Dress for Success Washington, DC that was held last week, Stella& Dot will be donating 10% of sales made between now and October 3^rd. If you weren’t able to make a purchase at the party or you weren’t able to attend and would like to make a purchase please click on the image below to shop online!  Stella & Dot has great statement pieces!!

Thank you again for supporting me and my charity efforts. Through the last three events I have hosted and the ones I post on this site, I hope you have been inspired to become more involved with the community.

As a personal stylist it’s my job to provide suggestions on what to wear, however I also think it is important to share with you some of my outfits. Stylist should inspire others not only by the advice they give but by the way they look.  I don’t think I do too bad when it comes to dressing myself

On Instagram I take photos of my outfits and other fabulous finds I thought I’d share. Hopefully these looks/finds will provide you with some inspiration! 

For more fun fashion and lifestyle pictures, join me on Instagram @DivaStateMind.

If you want to know where I found any of the pieces featured, let me know.

Fashion readers are a very popular accessory trend.  They look great on everyone else, but I never thought I could pull the look off.   So this year, I purchased a pair to see if I could rock this trend effortlessly like so many others.

I found a pair of thick black framed glasses from Urban Outfitters and I LOVE THEM!  Fashion readers can be worn with anything, and are a great option for those days you don’t feel like wearing makeup (the thick frame brings attention to your eyes). As pictured above, they look great paired with a bright lip.

To purchase fashion readers, check out the following retailers:

Urban Outfitters, Giant Vintage, RetroCitySunglasses, Forever 21, Hot Topic, Bon Look, and ASOS,