OOTD: Maximize 1

Hey guys,

So in honor of the ridiculously nice weather we had today (50s and 60s, even with gloomy skies) I decided to resurrect some pieces from my summer wardrobe. Maxi dresses!

This and the following two OOTDs for this week will show you how I work such decidedly summer attire into winter appropriate wear.

The most obvious solution to this is layer. Layering isn't just for shirts and sweaters anymore. You can utilize any dress or skirt in your closet for cooler seasons just by bundling up with tights, a sweater, scarf or jacket.

I paired my maroon maxi with a tank, a sweater, and my trusty leather jacket. To keep my legs warm I wore fishnet tights and socks. The fishnet, combat boots and black jacket definitely edge up the over all look.

Accessories included my double arrow earrings from F21, dark lipstick and a high bun.

Enjoy and be inspired.

Before

 

After

Till next time

-AF

Daily Dose [7]

Loved this look and it's super easy to recreate. I'm feeling more and more tempted to make videos...just for the blog (maybe).
Anyway that lipstick is hot.

Holmique- Love & Hip Hop Atlanta Erica Dixon Makeup Tutorial

The back of this dress is sexy.

Missing my twists (not enouogh to put them back though), but her braids are bangin.

This makes me miss the summer. Love their hair and style.

AF

Summer Favorites

"Fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic." -George Bernard Shaw

This past summer has been filled with many "induced epidemics" but my top 5 have been;

5- color blocking
4- maxi dresses/skirts
3- neon
2- recycled fashion
1-prints

Most of these are repeats from past seasons (and posts) but fashion is also cyclical. But mostly it's whatever you make it, so if you like prints or color blocking (or whatever) then that will ALWAYS be "in" for YOU. And that's all that really matter because YOU are the one that is wearing the clothes and feelings good, sexy, confident and any number of things in them. 

All five of my fav summer trends allow you to stand out and be bold and even better you can do them all at the same time!! Nothing like killing ten birds with one stone you didnt even throw, lol does that even make sense?

Focus! 

Color blocking is a great way to to play with colors and put together things you might not have thought of before. It adds versatility to your wardrobe, getting more wear out of  clothes is definetly a bonus. See ... For more on color blocking.

Despite my meager stature (5' 1.75" ...I'm totally claiming all 3/4ths of an inch) maxis help elongate my frame. This is all dependent on proportions and fit of course. Nothing kills (slaughters, massacres) a look more than ill fitting clothes. But assuming all is well in that department maxis are great, whether loose and billowy, grecian in style or figure hugging, the possibility are endless. You can rock them ultra relaxed in flip flops or sandals or go the extra mile and wear wedges or heels (strappy).

Neon, fun!!! Yes neons, like the highlighter colors not the element (random: The element neon, number 10 on the periodic table is actually rare on earth and ironically under standard conditions is colorLESS.). Think 80s (another thing I love). Neons are hot this summer. From Christian Louboutin's pigalles to nail polish, they were everywhere adding a touch of pizaz. I mentioned earlier that you're able to do more than one of the favs at a time and this can be seen with neons when color blocking.

Check out my previous post on maxis and bright colors.

Reduce, reuse and recycle (I think that's trademarked or copy written. Whatever.) But were gonna apply that to clothing. Lately thrifting has become the hot new thing (see Top 5 [7]). Hollister's reign over the youth of today is slipping and GoodWill and other Secondhand, consignment and thrift stores are on the rise. (NOOOOO correlation to the increasing number of "hipsters" lol) For some nothing can really compete with brand new. But for the brave, frugal and visionary this alternative is life changing really. Seriously, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Though this is a very fine line because some trash should stay in the garbage. 

I digress, shopping at thrift stores is a great way to save money and expand your creativity! Not all clothing found are from the 80s and beyond there are some new pieces that may be found in stores currently you just have to take the time to look. Aside from thrifting you can use items in your own closet and re-purpose them. I've cut up many jeans and made them into shorts this summer and shredded a couple shirts and made into crop tops and muscle tees. YouTube has a plethora of D.I.Y. videos (links below).  

Prints are hot and can be more fun than solid colors (neon or otherwise). I've gone into details on prints in Top 5 [10] and Flower Power. Guess what's in this fall and was all the rage this past summer. Tribal prints, African prints and animal prints. 

DIY shorts and top

-DIY Rainbow Cut-Off Shorts

-How to: Fringe your top

Check these out too

-D.I.Y Custom Doc Martens

-DIY NETTED BIKINI COVER-UP!

-DIY: Dip-Dye ACCESSORIES!

catch you later...Law and Order SVU is on!

Circles

So as an African woman, one of the things required of you from birth is that you know how to cook [maybe exaggerated], but cooking is like a life time skill you need to have. It’s like having a four year degree from college, just that this one is a continues process. So of recent my dad has really enjoyed eating pepper soup (some African Dish made with white pepper) and I never knew how to cook it. So every time my dad said he wanted to eat pepper soup I would escape the work by saying I don’t know how to cook it. So yesterday was the D-day. My dad asked to eat pepper soup as usual and my usual response was that I don’t know how to cook it. Well guess what, my mama made me watch while she cooked it, so now I’m a certified pepper soup cooker [sadly]. I don’t get to run away again when next my dad ask to eat pepper soup :(

So I have been having the same phone for two years. I was due for an upgrade in March but I really did like my old phone. It was small and PURPLE. So yesterday I had to let go [twas kinda hard to do] and I got a new phone. I really wanted the LG Optimus S, but I had to settle for the LG Rumor Touch. I guess it’s an upgrade from a keypad to a touch. Still getting used to it though and guess what??????IT’S PURPLE TOO :)

I get annoyed at times when people talk about how bipolar Minnesota weather is, but today I just had to confirm all their thoughts on the bipolarity of Minnesota’s weather. A couple of friends and I had plans to go to lake Calhoun today. Just two days ago it was blazing hot to the extent that the highway got melted, but today when we decide to go to the beach it rains…HOW TIMELY MINNESOTA. Thanks for running my day and letting me hide that non-bikini body for prolly another week. GISSS!!

I feel like I’m talking too much, but just so much happens within the span of two days, which got me thinking…NOT. Well I turned on the TV today and guess what was on?????SMALLVILLE. Last time I saw a complete episode of that show was prolly in high school, which just reminded me of how time passes by really fast. Clark Kent is pretty grown though. He and his cousin Kera were prolly the only two people I could recognize right off the bet…yeah I’m that bad in memory. Well just thought I should say that. Oh and I also watched CSI: NY [Christmas setting] which reminded me of Christmas…I WANT IT TO BE CHRISTMAS ALREADY, real talk. I don’t care about the SNOW, but not so much for the cold though. Well you never know with this MinnesNoWta-Bipolar Weather. DEUCES guys.

~Pretty P

my apologies

I've been super busy these past few weeks, seeing as this is my LAST SEMESTER IN COLLEGE!!! I've been finishing up classes, studying for finals etc etc so much in fact I've neglected the blog :(. I also had a friend over for the weekend a few weeks ago. There so much to update ya'll on but for now I'm gonna try and finish up school then I'll direct my focus this way, PROMISE.

MinneSNOWta

This is like a rambling rant...but in my OOTD post I said that i wasn't gonna wear my leather jacket cuz of the cold/snow...turns out ALL of it melted!

Can you believe that, this place is so...I don't even know. If I hadn't seen snow on some cars I wouldn't have believed people that said it had snowed. Lets not forget the fact that it's the MIDDLE OF APRIL. I guess global warming isn't taking a back seat this year.

coming soon: Top 5 -Aholics & Hate is a Strong Word


~A

Hiatus?

I'm actually in Hawaii on a family vacation till next week.

So more posts will be coming up...

-A

Birthed from Boredom

So I'm not normally on the Internet as often as I have been this past summer, certainly not during the school year. However this summer (with no job) I've found that I have endless time on my hands, both a BURDEN and a BLESSING.

I've been able to sleep till whenever and stay up late. No homework etc. It's been FANTASTIC. But I've also been without mental stimulation (unless I'm reading) and my closest friends. In the depths of my boredom I spent my days on Facebook, which was ok, however no one else was really online, so I remained bored. I stumbled onto YouTube, which had previously been a source for music. I found that it also held an unending supply of entertainment, and information. I've learned so much, from hair and makeup tips to new yoga positions and how to naturally whiten my teeth. I was inspired by this wealth of knowledge to make my own videos.

I find that I learn/discover the most when I least expect it, and often via random occurrences/situations (i.e. being on YouTube or Google).

The bottom line is, out of my boredom and passion for journaling and reflection cam "Ramblings From a Self-Professed -AHOLIC". "AHOLIC" in terms of an obsession, or over use of (not necessarily alcohol consumption).

-A

a budding OBSESSION

OK so I've been journaling all my life. Kept a diary for FOREVER, even did a shared diary with a friend early in high school (I'm not sure why we stopped, but it was probably for the best).

But anyway, in 2004 I started an online journal/diary on Opendiary.com. I ended up losing the password and created a new account (unfortunate I know). I'm not sure what's going on with them right now, but I missed it. Soon after I joined Livejournal.com but i didn't keep up with it after the lose of my previous online diaries. After awhile, I think when the online journaling caught on, MSN created one, and of course I joined it, and a few other sites subsequently.

So essentially I'm not a newbie when it comes to online journaling/blogging.

I am an AVID Facebook ADDICT and have yet to join Twitter (it's inevitable that I will) also I started a "semi" (for lack of a better word) Vblog on YouTube (another ADDICTION). However things have come to a halt since my camera is out of commission for now :(.

I've been meaning to set up a sister blog with my Vblog (link above) on YouTube for a while and with the onset of pure boredom this summer NOW has become the perfect time for such an endeavor.

I love LOVE LOVE sharing my life/thoughts/emotions, whether through images or words (I make no claims at being a wordsmith, a photog, or director/actor...merely an AHOLIC).

I look forward to blogging....

-A