Finding Your Barack: A Crash Course

I have the day off. YAY!

So in honor of President's Day and the recently passed Valentine's Day, I'm linking to a story I worked on a couple of weeks ago for the full-time gig. Check it out here. It honestly didn't even feel like work. My coworker Queen, another coworker and myself so enjoyed brainstorming for this gallery and writing the captions plus I was forced to check myself ; like I had to do just this past weekend actually. Be sure to read until the end, there's a real jewel from the Prez in the very last caption.

HAPPY PRESIDENT'S DAY!

Black Male Style Icons Part 2

Click here for last year's list.

RUN-DMC

Often credited for bringing rap to the mainstream, Run-DMC are truly pioneers in music. (This April, they will be inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.) But with their unprecedented Adidas contract, slick black fedora and Lee jeans getups, they definitely made their mark on fashion as well. I remember as a little girl looking up to them with their gold rope chains and leather bombers and thinking their influence was just local. But now as an adult who has traveled the world, I know that they have inspired folks globally as well. And oh yeah, they're from Queens too. R.I.P. JMJ



BARACK OBAMA

He almost made my list last year but I had no choice but to add him this time around. Yeah I know we really only see him in (kinda boring) suits, but it's the way he wears those suits. Based on a convo I just had with women who are all several years my senior, I am reminded that a lot of folks still don't realize that true style has very little to do with clothes. Poor things. Obama is swagger personified. His confidence is so palpable that regardless of what he wears, he looks like he's the man in it. He and his family are going to play a major part in changing our country's obsession with materialistc things too - mark my words. (The recession might help do that a little bit too, lol.) The desire to wear $500 Evisu jeans and drive a car with rims that cost God knows how much is quickly dwindling. A lot of that is because of our new Prez whether people immediately recognize it or not. I think a lot of folks will start to say Hey, if he can be that cool without flaunting, then so can I.


KANYE WEST

Now I have to admit that Ye has been getting on my nerves a little bit as of late but I'm gonna cough it up to him still mourning the lost of his mother. Speaking of his mother (R.I.P. D.W.), she was a college English professor. Perhaps that had something to do with Kanye's style. He made being (or dressing like) a nerd cool. His obsession with LV is a bit much at times but I dig Kanye for coming on the scene and not being afraid to go slightly left with his backpack and snug fitting jeans. Today's popularity of the preppy kid meets b-boy look is very much because of Kanye. (Maybe Pharrel will make next year's list.)



PRINCE

C’mon. Who else can pull off roller sets (tight ones I might add), purple britches, ruffles and high heels yet still manage to be one of the biggest sex symbols to women for the past three decades? No one. Prince paved the way for guys like Andre 3000 (who I bigged up last year). Even the hardest cats I know give Prince his props for being that dude. Oh yeah, and he's only like 5 feet tall but he never, ever seems like he's not in control. Like ever. And both Prince and I adore the color purple.



ANDRE LEON TALLEY

He's been holding down a coveted position as editor-at-large of American Vogue for years. Talley is reportedly 6'7" tall and far from a string bean but he slides into a room as graceful as someone half his size. He's a very big Black man, which in the fashion and publishing industries is beyond rare, but that doesn't stop him from wearing whatever he wants. From velour track suits to velvet slippers... Who can't respect that? I secretly think we have a special connection too because we both have roots in North Carolina. And though he never responded to the corny letter I sent him after reading his book a few years ago, I have learned a thing or two from Talley, even if it has all been from a distance.




Did I forget someone? Leave me a comment and let me know. The female list is coming next week!

My Top 8 People, Places and Things of 2008

So uh, yeah, this is a lil' late. My bad, ish happens. Regardless, I'm quite interested to know what you guys agree and disagree with so please leave me a comment with your two cents. This post wouldn't be complete without acknowledging a few of the dope (and not so dope) things 2008 meant to me personally. I finally made that trip to South Africa (Maybe I will actually upload those pics in '09?), spent a glorious day solo in the Everglades and made significant strides in my career (it's all about the plan). I also lost a couple of family members (RIP David and Darryl), gained a new one (Welcome Khloe!) and learned what it really means to forgive someone and to be forgiven. While PPT is far from what I want it to be and know that it can be; it's like me, a work in progress.

So, here are the things that were on my radar in 2008:

HAIR: Keri Hilson, Victoria Beckham and Janelle Monae get my award for maintaining the hottest tresses in 2008. Keri's modern day 70's flip with blonde accents kept me interested when I became bored when everyone else was sweating Rihanna's strands. Victoria Beckham got shorty again the way only she can. And Miss Janelle brought back the French roll! I love French rolls and have been waiting for their return. Plus, Janelle is as cute as a button (Her skin is FLAWLESS!) and I like that she wears her naturally curly hair in a style we've really only seen on straight hair.

Hilson kept a fresh do in '08.


Monae rocking her updated version of the French roll.

FASHION: Michelle "I know I've been sweating her all year" Obama. No real explanation here. She's the epitome of fly to me. Even when she rocks something I don't necessarily get, I love her style. I guess if I had to choose my favorite look from her last year it would be the purple shift dress and the black patent belt worn during the now infamous "fist bump". Michelle was killing 'em that night! Our soon to be First Lady is this blog's tagline "Style goes way beyond clothes" personified.

Purple Power

MUSIC: About 75% of the music I listen to was released at least 10 years ago. All the more reason for me to be excited about Jazmine Sullivan's "official" debut in 2008. My homie Tress put me on to Jazmine a few years back and I was instantly a fan based on her rendition of Resentment. I had the opportunity to meet the Philly songstress last year, right before her album dropped, and she was such a sweetie. Oh and all those Grammy nominations she snagged? Lovin' it.

FILM: I'm not a big movie goer and in fact my friends clown me about all the flicks I haven't seen. But I, along with most of the world, got super excited about the Sex and the City movie. I know it got a whole lotta hype that many would argue it didn't quite live up to. However, what I appreciate the most about the film was that it crushed so many stereotypes and predictions about women not turning up in big numbers at the theater. Yeah, I tend to root for the underdog.

ECONOMY: The word recessionista replaced fashionista in 2008 and for good reason. Ish hit the fan. Between the bailouts, the layoffs and the crazy oil prices, it was a bumpy ride for all of us. I've been blessed to stay afloat financially for the most part but I've altered my spending habits and focused more on what really matters to me.

THE REAL (AND NOT SO REAL) SOCIALITE: Bravo's reality series The Real Housewives of Atlanta struck gold for the network, breaking records and getting a second season. But the five women left many wondering how "fabulous" their lives really were when the cameras were off... Maggie Betts on the other hand became a presence on the mainstream front (she's been a fixture in NYC society circles) and unlike Genevieve Jones... Well, I'm not gonna go there. It seems kinda silly to boast about Betts coming from a wealthy and "connected" family when folks are b-r-o-k-e. My point is simply that she was "that girl" in 2008 for the fashion and media crowd.

Betts out and about.

BLACK IS BACK (Hopefully to stay this time.): The All Black Vogue Italia had me and most of you reading this going nuts! Again, I give most of the credit for this to Bethann Hardison for fearlessly getting the conversation started about the lack of Black models on the runway back in 2007.

And last but certainly not least (insert drumroll here)... BARACK OBAMA. Yes. He. Did. Not too much to say about this man that hasn't already been said. I am grateful that in addition to donating to his campaign and making phone calls to folks in PA among other things, I was able to use PPT as a platform to encourage people to vote last November. That is a beautiful thing. But the journey has just begun and there is a lot of work to do. For all of us to do. Looking forward to what 2009 will bring and hope you are too!


MR. PRESIDENT

President-Elect Barack Obama - A Picture Is Worth A Thousand and One Words

Hello PPT fam. I am still numb. Tuesday night and all-day Wesnesday, November 5th was filled with so much emotion that I honestly don't know what to write today. Yesterday, friends and colleagues happily emailed loads of pics that evoked what people across the world were feeling about this historic win. They all struck a cord with me, even after I started to get the same pics multiple times.

But the one below of an adorable little boy in Indonesia says it all.




Yes. We. Did.

Project Runway's Korto Momolu: Losing Never Looked So Good

Korto Momolu: The People's Champ

I admittedly am not a huge fan of Project Runway. Reality tv just isn't really my thing. But I had the pleasure of interviewing last season's runner-up Korto Momolu from the popular Bravo series for my day gig and I must share with my PPT folks. I was so inspired by Korto's can-do attitude. She is a sweetheart, she's driven (has that immigrant do-or-die spirit) and clearly loves her family. Oh and Ms. Girl is way talented.

Read the interview and leave a comment here or on the other site to let me know what ya think. As I get updates on her collection, I'll be sure to pass them along.

I'm about to get ready for church but I hope to make some calls to PA for Barack Obama later today as we are in the final stretch of this historic election. If you would like to do this as well, visit this site for the deets. You can make calls from home or go to a phonebank center in your area. We're almost there!

Beyond Barack: We Need To Be More Aware And Get Involved Folks

Other other day Mr. TK said something that has been on my mind kinda heavy since. He was frustrated about a business situation when he mumbled, "Sometimes knowing a little about something is worse than knowing nothing at all." After I let his statement marinate for a bit, I realized how much it related to the way I (and most of the folks I know) associate with politics. While it is fantastic that we are all on Team Obama and eat, sleep and dream about the presidential election, I think most of us have forgotten about the other politicians who have a strong impact on our lives as well. Everyone (even my five and seven year old nieces) knows the importance of voting next month. And it is certainly important - without a shadow of a doubt important. But guess what? The pothole on your block that took six months to get filled? A local politician tends to that. The disgust I often have when shopping in my local supermarket because of a lack of fresh(er) veggies and poultry? A local politician. Your kid's after-school program slipping with quality extra-curricular activities? A local politician yet again.

In light of Mr. TK's comment, I want to make it known that I am far from knowledgable about politics. But, over the past year or so, I have been much more aware of what is going on with the federal government simply because of Barack Obama. And yes, this is a beautiful thing. But, me not knowing who my councilman, congressman, borough president, school district president (it shouldn't matter that I don't have children), local judges, and even the folks who run my co-op board are is pretty pathetic. NEWSFLASH: Even after Obama gets to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, we can't go back to being zoombies. Having just returned from South Africa, I am reminded of how much most Americans take democracy for granted. (Yeah, our democracy is f**ked up but try voting in Jamaica.) Add to that I'm a Black American, and there is an entire extra layer of guilt for me because some of my folks truly fought for me to have this right. And I know they didn't intend for me to just exercise it every 4 years.

Michelle Obama was on Larry King a couple of weeks ago discussing how great it is that this election has gotten people engaged again. As if we have been awoken from a deep slumber. And now I really get what she meant. (Told y'all I have delayed reactions.) I have challenged myself and I challenge you to research your local politicians so that you can really be educated. And after November 4th, keep up with what elected officials are and aren't doing in your 'hood. Yes, I'm busy, you're busy -- everyone is busy. But we all make time for the things we find important.

We've been sleeping long enough.

Sorry I have yet again posted about something not related to "conventional style" but this is what is on my heart and mind to blog about today.