Behind The King: Good Day Philadelphia
What better way to end 2010 then modeling on Fox 29 Philly for Rakia Reynolds’ fashion tips for New Years. Being that I just met Rakia a week ago at the Wilhelmina holiday party shows how important it is to make your presence felt and to network with people when you are at different events. She asked me to send her some pictures and I was allowed to style one of my own outfits on the show. The three female models wore outfits from Philadelphia boutique Carmelita Couture.
While modeling is something that I grew up doing I never really pursued it. However I’m glad I had the opportunity to rekindle it and participate in such a wonderful experience. Also it was a pleasure working with Rakia and I look forward to working with her more in future. Check out pictures from the day and view the Fox 29 segment.
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Wilhelmina of PA
I was invited to the Wilhelmina of Philadelphia holiday party at the Rose Garden Room at the Hyatt at the Bellevue. Wilhelmina is famous NY modeling agency which represents models & actors and recently opened an office in the Greater Philadelphia area and represents Philly Fashion Week. I attended this affair with the beautiful Miss Nichelle Pace better known as StyleMom. We got there fashionably late so we barely saw the band Summer Fiction which I heard was great. I also didn’t get a chance to take as many pictures because there were so many amazing people to networking with. Getting interviewed by Geekadelphia, I’m guessing it was the glasses and bowtie that caught their attention. I also met the fashionista Rakia Reynolds of Skai Blue Media & Philly360. I also had great conversations with one of the event planners Mr. Matthew Vlahos along with many of the models. All in all it was an amazing event with beautiful people and interesting conversation and I’m looking forward to the next one.
Check out a few of the pictures from the event
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Behind The King: Joy To The World Fest
This past weekend the city of Brotherly Love was on fire. Best thing about this weekend was it was all for a great cause. Tyrone L. Gilliams Jr bought together celebrities and patrons to benefit Joy To The World Fest which is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for awareness for hunger, homelessness, and other issues related to the economic times.
From Thursday to Sunday there were series of events with many celebs such as Boris Kodjoe, Brian McKnight, Diddy and Jamie Fox in attendance. I was asked by a friend of mine, celebrity fashion stylist Giovanni & Designer Extrodinare Nasir of AxpFlySociety to participate in styling over 30 hospitality models for the VIP Black Tie Gala hosted by Diddy at the Ritz Carlton hotel on Broad & Chestnut. I got a chance to connect with many models & makeup artist that I look forward to working with in the near future. Partying with Diddy, Fabolous and Jermaine Dupri was just the icing on the cake.
Check out the pics from behind the scenes and check out the Photography portfolio for pictures from the Black Tie Gala
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Black Style Bloggers Tweetup
I picked the best day to go to New York. I left Philly at 4pm to be stuck in traffic for 3hrs with a dead cell phone. Luckily I had my iPad which helped me connect with friends via twitter and find my way to the Black Style Bloggers event that I had been anticipating. Hosted by Lovebrownsugar.com and The Lowe Factor, I was exicted about this event being that I am a new blogger and am always interested in exploring other cities and meeting new creative people.
The event was held @Ferality Boutique on 62 Clinton st. and was to recognize bloggers of color in the area of fashion, beauty, hair care and personal style. The event was beyond amazing and there were raffles, cocktails and spa treatments available. Even though it took me an extra hour and a half to get there, it was well worth the trip to finally meet so many great bloggers and be able to put faces to such stylish blogs.
Check out the pictures I took at the Black Style Bloggers Tweetup
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Doubt Us
Today I received a package from a Facebook friend Melanie from Jersey now residing of Miami. Melanie has an up-incoming t shirt line called Doubt Us. This brand represents a connection between you and those who believe that creativity in ones clothes reflects them without having to say a word. Melanie reached out to me via Facebook about my personal style and potentially sending me a shirt from the Doubt Us line. The package included a cool t-shirt with the Doubt Us emblem, a press kit describing the brand’s philosophy, buttons and stickers.
Check out the t-shirt and the Doubt Us manifesto
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RM67 Bow-tie Collection
A colorful bow-tie is a part of my everyday attire, from bright pink to polka dots. So when my friend Dah’mod Collins of RM67 asked me to participate in his Bow-tie collection photoshoot it was a no brainer. I was impressed with the concept of the RM67 collection. Dah’mod creates unique bow-ties by combining 3 different bow-ties into one. The wearer has the option to adjust them according to their mood and outfit. Very dope concept!
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Punk Rock Flea Market
“Everything that’s vintage isn’t hot, everything that is thrift doesn’t make you cool. It’s not about what you wear but its how you rock it”.
That famous quote is the reason why I can appreciate a flea market full of different vendors that only comes around twice a year. The “Punk Rock Flea Market” was held on 9th st between Spring Garden & Callowhill. The semi-annual event was a bit overwhelming for myself, Shaheed & Fajr especially with this being our first time and not knowing what to expect. There were many great finds but without patience and an eye for a unique patterns and fabrics we might have missed out on some great finds.
My finds of the day were a $10 blazer which I plan to get tailored and a used pair of vintage eye glasses for $5. From the unique people to the vegan muffins being sold at every turn I have to say that you might just see me at the next Punk Rock Flea Market. Read the rest of the post to see pictures from the Punk Rock Flea Market.
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Arts, Beats & Eats “Toy Drive”
What better way then to end the last Arts, Beats and Eats of the year by benefiting a non-profit organization that provides quality education, treatment and care to children and families with special needs. Wordsworth.org along with Youth Action were the two organizations we donated the new/used toys to. The purpose of these social mixers are to bring young like minded professionals under one roof and incorporate fine arts and music. I noticed that more people were interacting with one another and making connections. The Arts, Beats and Eats Spotlight may be one of the reasons for that.
We raffled off one of the live painting done by artist Iye Yinde along with gift bags from some of the vendors (IbnMajid, Mijourne, House of Ra’oof, Missfit Vintage, Brittany Deshields, Amercian Dreaming Mag and Urbanea) and gift certificate from the venue Primo Bacio Ristorante. We also had Smyte Mine and Crucial feed off of each other for our spoken word segment. I would thank all who were in attendance at each ABE (Mayflower, Book Drive, Health and Wellness, School Supply drive, Breast Cancer Awareness, Canned good drive and Toy drive) look forward to seeing you next year January 2nd or every first Sunday of every month.
Special thanks to Shaheed Rucker and Gianni Lee. Without them Arts, Beats and Eats would not be possible.
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New Trition: Abstract Thought
Being from a city where there’s more then enough talent but not enough togetherness it was exciting to see the good folks of Abstract Thought and Ed Brown put on a music showcase with the new generation of artist this past Saturday at The Arts Garage. The show was called “New Triton” meaning great music and talent is essential to our bodies, minds and souls. I was fashionably late so I missed the artist Bones, R&B artist Beano and Rapper/Producer Dannie Phantom but I walked in just in time to see Chase Allen ripping the stage with his Kanye-esque cockiness. Next up was a R&B group U City. I heard great things about them and was pleased to finally see the dynamic duo perform.
Singer/song writer Corey Latif Williams took the stage with his rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” along with two of his other songs that had the ladies in a daze. The last star in the making was Chill Moody, some call him “West Chilly” referring to his new album and where he resides. His energy set the crowd up for the Kid and Play style after-party. The array of diverse and talented artists was a great event for the city and the music was definitely “New Tritious”.
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Behind the King: Missfit Vintage
Behind every stylish man is a stylish woman. Being that I’m a Mamma’s boy this statement is not hard for me to understand. So lately I have been teaming up with Fajr Muhammad of Stylish Thought. Fajr (who designed my blog) owns an online women’s boutique called Missfit Vintage. She wanted to do a lookbook for the launch of the online store and asked me to style the shoot. We teamed up with another stylist Alicia P, models Sopanit and Kristen, as well as KB of FocusedEyed Films (videographer) and Dave Austria, the photographer. The shoot really came together and it was a pleasure to style as the pieces were very stylish and the models were full of life.
It was great to work with a lively bunch of people and the shoot was an overall success. I’m definitely looking forward to the next Missfit Vintage shoot. Check out the pictures I took that day from behind the scenes.
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No Gaps Round Table: House of Ra’oof
Where did you get your style from?
This was the question that my good friend and mentor Taji Nahl of House of Ra’oof posed to his guests at his networking event at Ms. Tootsies this past Friday. The event bought together a variety of style and fashion lovers of all ages (from 18 to 70 years old) and races, hence the name No Gaps. I took some time to really think about where I get my style from and my answer was:
“I get my style from my dad but my mom wouldn’t allow me to wear white t-shirts so I had no choice to adjust and dress differently”
The crowd found this funny, but it’s true. I definitely derive my style from my parents and the beliefs and uniqueness they instilled in me. The event was a huge success and congrats to House of Ra’oof. Read the rest of the post to check out the pictures from the No Gaps event and learn more about the House of Ra’oof.
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Kings not Slaves
On the 1st Friday of every month the streets of Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood are filled with a diverse crowd of art-loving individuals. Over 40 art galleries open their doors for shows and exhibits. Being that I come from a history of painters, designers and all around craftsman, this has become a big part of my lifestyle.
I went to my good friend Jemel Balkman aka J.W. Hufnagle of Camden, NJ first art show @ the Vivant Art Collection. He used to paint for Miskeen Originals, which my father started. He seemed a little nervous in the beginning but once people started reacting to his artwork he loosened up. Each piece he showed had a unique and distinct look which made his stuff easy to market to more people.
I also noticed another artist’s painting which was titled “Kings not Slaves”. The title really resonated with me. The artist of the piece is Reina 76 from Harrisburg and her look was a mix of Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. She took the crowd by storm with her unique attire and her artwork complemented her sensational look.
Check out the pictures and the creative artwork that was on display.
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Keep It Growing: Res Concert
I met up with my good friend Ish of CYL Thursday night to go see another good friend of mine Res perform. She has been inviting me to see her show for some time now and I’m glad I was finally able to make it out. You may remember Res from her 2001 classic album “How I Do” with hit songs “Golden Boys” & “They Say Visions”. The show was great and I had a huge smile on my face the entire time because I was happy to see her still doing her thing. The concert was a benefit to help with the maintenance of the Caring People Alliance Community Center in West Philly and the donation of $23 was a small price to pay for such an awesome concert and cause. Performer Quincy Mumford also performed. It was my first time seeing and hearing him but it won’t be my last.
Check out the pics from Res’ performance and check out her tour dates.
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Arts, Beats & Eats Spotlight
As you may or may not know I organize a monthly social mixer with Shaheed Rucker (Change_Makers) and Gianni Lee (babyloncartel) called Arts, Beats and Eats every first Sunday since May. The popularity of this event has grown tremendously with “doers” and young professionals in the tri-state area. Recently I noticed that the people who attend were not connecting with others like I wanted them to.
So we came up with a segment called “The Spotlight” which gives up to 10 attendees the opportunity to share who they are and what they do. Many times when you’re socializing you miss out on the who’s who in the room because you do not know who they are unless you introduce yourself. This makes it easier for both parties to know how each other can be of assistance to one another without being scared to network.
If you are interested contact me so I can add you to the “The Spotlight” and check out the agenda for this Sunday’s Arts, Beats and Eats event.
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DNTN Brand Pop-Up Store Launch
Black Friday was a pretty busy day for me. I went to Soho, NY, made last minute ticket deliveries for Black is Beautiful 3 and had to be at the venue early. In between the hustle, I made sure that I attended my good friend Don Scott’s, Pop-up shop grand opening. The Pop-up shop was to unveil Don’s street-wear line The DNTN Brand and to benefit local youth arts programs. Don is an artist and painter and proceeds from the event went to benefit Arts Reach.
I have to say that I’m very impressed with the set up. The store has an old flavor mixed with timeless artwork. I watched it transform from an empty space into a shop comparable to established lines. I was only there for a short time so I wasn’t able to flick it up but here are a few pictures from the grand opening.
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