Hello There

Just stopping by to post a photo from the weekend. I'm happy the temperatures are cooling so I can pull out my favorite jacket which is from H&M and a burnt orange beauty of a blazer I snagged from Old Navy in the Spring for just $6.99!!  Today I also got a black blazer with faux leather inserts from New York & Company that I can not wait to wear! Attending "A Dinner with Curlfriends" hosted by Jenell of Kinky Curly Coily Me! this weekend so I just may wear it then if the weather is right.

Until then, I hope everyone is having a great week.

P.S. Subscribe to my Facebook page for daily updates.

Jacket & Cami: H&M

Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

Pins: Yes! Natty

Get Julued x Etsy

It's the second day of August and I'm still wondering when did we get here?!!  Seems like it was just January but we're now well past the halfway mark.  This can't possibly be exciting for the people that think the world's ending this year. Haha.

I for one don't mind!  Not that the world may be ending, but that the year's progressing.  I made it a goal to have an Etsy shop up and running before the summer's out and with about 6 weeks to spare, I've finally done it!!  Opened my account on the 11th of July and had my listings published by the 26th. *happy dance*

So what's in my Etsy shop you may be wondering?  Well, first off it's called Get Julued (like duuuh) and my listings so far consist of earrings and pins created by me.  In particular, there's the Rising Star design; a concept I came up with last summer.  I kid you not, the design idea came in a dream.  Anyone had that happen to them before?  You dream of something and it keeps nagging you until you decide to chase it?  That's exactly what happened to me.  And I  loved the results needless to say.

Yours truly wearing the first Rising Stars EVER made!

Between last summer and now, I've sold quite a few which served as validation to make them more accessible and to a larger audience.  Most of my orders had been people from my homeland, St.Kitts.  Etsy seemed like the only and best platform to use.

But enough of me blabbing, go check out the store.  And receive 10% of the list price from August 2nd to the 16th when you use this code: BLOG10.  Happy Shopping!!

Wishful Thinking: SKMF- Something for the Men

To wrap all the St.Kitts Music Festival talk up I had to throw in something for the men.  I'm not big on men's fashion because frankly I'm a girl and there's just so much more variety with women's fashion (in my opinon).  So I teamed up with my friend Asiff of Man vs. Threads to come up with fest-worthy looks.

For Thursday night we both came to a consensus that tanks and shorts were perfect for the event.  There are so many cool, oversized tanks to choose from: stripes, tribal prints, graphic images and patterns.  Personally, I plan on buying a few men's tanks to wear during the hot summer days.  Besides functionality, there's just something super sexy about wearing a man's shirt. ;)

Cuffed shorts are also big this summer whether in a classic denim or a colored chino, and we're seeing a lot of snug-fitting shorts which are undoubtedly the offspring of the men's skinny jeans.  A cool pair of kicks or shoes like the popular TOMS, and accessories finish out Thursday's look.

For Friday night, we both agreed it's the night to dress up a bit more. Long pants, a stylish button-up or even a slouchy tee, and denim or leather vest fit the bill.  Asiff had the perfect picture on his blog to demonstrate this look.

FIY: He DIYed those studs. -two thumbs up-

And last but not least we decided Saturday night would be the night to pull out a neat blazer. Nabbed this photo of Trey Songz from his Facebook fanpage.  I love how it's paired with a simple v-neck tee; this keeps the look casual in addition to the rolled-up sleeves of the blazer.

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I do hope you found some inspiration for your Music Fest looks whether male or female.   It feels sooo GOOD to be blogging again! 

Wishful Thinking: SKMF- Saturday Night

I hope you guys have been enjoying the looks so far because we're now at the last night of looks for the St.Kitts Music Festival. For the ladies that is. Dedicating one final post tomorrow for the men, and I'm collaborating with Asiff of Man vs. Threads to really infuse a man's point-of-view. Check out his blog in the meantime; he's got amazing style and taste!

With Saturday night's looks I decided to bring the glam! I know if I were going I'd definitely be putting on heels and a dress just because it's R&B/soul night. Of course pants are an option but there's gorgeous dress trends I think would be more than appropriate for the night.

The first look features the hi-low maxi skirt which is HUGE this summer. I'm sure you've seen them, as well as, the dress version (Forever 21 has a wide variety of super cute ones if you're on the hunt). The hi-low skirt is perfect for anyone. I was skeptical because of my height but I bought a dress version from Old Navy a few months back and I love it! It's also a versatile piece to suit any personality.

Pleated chiffon dresses are also big. They're super feminine and an easy way to achieve a sophisticated look. Pair with metallic sandals and dainty accessories to keep it classy. Shift dresses (Look 3) are another fab option, and I love that this DKNY dress incorporates sequin and the color-blocking trend. Wedges would be perfect with a dress like this, but flat sandals would be equally fab since the dress is glamorous on its own.

If I were going I'd wear...

Sequin Dress: Urban Outfitters

Neon Dress & Clutch: H&M

Both pairs of Wedges: Steve Madden

The sequin dress comes with a matching oilve slip dress but I thought it would be more "me" to wear it with my neon dress and rolled up as a top. What do you think? Couldn't make up my mind on shoes either but I think the snakeskin blends better. Your thoughts?

Wishful Thinking: SKMF- Friday Night

So as I'm here typing up this blog post, one of my friends hits me up on BBM and says:

Coincidentally, I was planning on addressing the whole glamour "issue" in this post.  In Thursday night's post, I did mention comfortable shoes are the way to go and I do believe this is true for the entire festival.  There's absolutely no point in wearing ridiculously high shoes or anything that you know you can't bare to be standing in for x-amount of hours.

However, I do believe you can still go all out and be glamourous.  The Music Festival is after all one of the biggest events St.Kitts sees annually.  Your pictures get taken and are seen all over the world depending on the media source.  And of course, you wanna be confident in uploading your own personal pictures on Facebook or Instagram from the event.

With that said, Friday night's looks were chosen to reflect the inner rock star in all of us.  After all it is reggae and dancehall night.  Studs, sequins and bold colors all reflect the vibe of the high energy the night's performers (which include Damian Marley, I-Octane, Eric Donaldson and Popcaan) are sure to bring.  And before you question the heels in Look 2, platforms are surprisingly comfortable when bought in the right weight.  When choosing platforms it's pretty easy to judge if they're gonna be a pain after an hour or too; if they feel heavy in your hand, they're definitely going to feel heavy on your feet.  Opt for something lightweight.  Your soles will thank you.  Also tossed in some color-blocking and tribal, which we know are big trends, with a dash of neon to spice up an all-white look (always always super sophisticated).  Peter-Pan collars are also very-in and très chic (Look 3).

If I were going I'd wear:

Tip: wear two lightweight tops for a cool layered look

Both tops & Shorts: H&M

Jewelry: Afaze and H&M

Sandals: Steve Madden

Bag: Forever21 (gifted)

Wishful Thinking: SKMF- Thursday Night

In all the years I've attended the St.Kitts Music Festival (SKMF), about 10 or so years, I don't recall ever going on a Thursday night.  Soca used to be my thing when I was a kid; I can recall being live entertainment on more than one occasion especially Friday nights when my parents would have little get-togethers. Quite vividly I remember dancing in the back of a minivan on a family road trip from NYC to Maryland one summer.  Anyone that knows me now probably can't begin to imagine it 'cause I'm rarely ever caught dancing. Lol

But anywho...   

As I put these looks together I tried to keep different personalities and age groups in mind, so there's a little bit of something for everyone whether young or old, trendy or conservative.  For simplicity's sake, I decided to go sans accessories since those are really a matter of taste and highly subjective.  I used the bare minimum to give you just enough to start imagining what you can come up with. 

Side note: Fellas, haven't forgotten you; you get a post to yourself on the weekend!

For Thursday night, shorts are a definite must!  Studded denim, scalloped shorts, pleated shorts, tie-dye shorts, colored denim shorts and the list-goes-on-of-shorts are perfect to rock out in for a summer concert.  If you're older or conservative, boyfriend fit jeans are an appropriate alternative from the leg-bearing option. To combat all the sweat you'll be producing as you whine, a cotton top is a great piece to wear to keep you cool.  If you opt for a chiffon top like the third look illustrates, you may want to consider wearing a cotton camisole.  I think it goes without saying that comfortable, flat shoes are the best way to go for Thursday night.

If I were going I'd wear...

Completely broke my idea of wearing a cami under chiffon but you get the picture

Top, Shorts, Bag, Beaded Bracelets: H&M

Belt: Gap

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell "Kelley"

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Can you see yourself in any of these looks?  How'd you make it your own?

Wishful Thinking: St.Kitts Music Festival Edition

In the US the music festival that seems to be most synonymous with fashion, style and entertainment is Coachella.  For those of yourself like me who have never been, I'm sure you've spent minutes -and maybe hours- browsing the photo galleries of the who's-who checking out all the hot summer styles looking for some inspiration to infuse into your own wardrobe.  For a change this year, I didn't. Yeah that's right I said it; I didn't look at one single photo from Coachella... How could  I possibly do that when the only thing on my mind is St.Kitts?!!

Not only am I missing the beaches, my family and friends and just good ole' island living, I'm missing the St.Kitts Music Festival too! From since the age of thirteen or so, I've attended each and every year so it's pretty much become a tradition.  And here I am missing it again on its sixteenth year of production, which is appropriately dubbed "Sweet 16".

The line-up's packed with a little bit of something for everyone. There's Thursday night which us locals dub "Jump-up Night" that's filled with soca music that's guaranteed to make you buss a sweat, Friday night packed with dancehall and reggae artists that you're gonna skank and dub to allll night, and R&B and soul on Saturday night that'll make you fall in love all over again (or possibly hate even more if it's that type of situation- ha!)

So in honor of my absence this year (boo-hoo!) I'll be posting looks for each night I would've potentially worn if I'd been there.  And of course I can't leave you guys hanging, especially if you've followed my Facebook page when it was formerly juluSTYLES.  Every year I put together looks to give you guys some inspiration in deciding what you're gonna wear.  

First post is up at 8pm sharp tonight! (I don't wanna miss Game 5 of the NBA play-offs. MIA or OKC? I'm rollin' with the Thunder!)

Sneak peek of Saturday night's looks!

Ahem!

It goes without saying that I've been a bad blogger. Actually horrible is a more fitting word. I don't know how I'll ever be able to make it up to you except to start posting regularly once again.

See what had happened was that thing called 'Life'. But I digress since that's hardly a plausible excuse in today's world where you just have to roll with the punches. Honestly, my focus just shifted and I found every reason in the book not to blog. That, however, is going to change.

As I approach the end of my academic career at the end of May, one of my main goals is to revive the blog and satiate my desire to inspire and interact with all you stylish folks. For the better part of the last six weeks or so I have rebranded my old Facebook page to reflect the Get Julued blog. I find Facebook is much more condusive for instant interaction, and therefore another reason I have ignored this medium. (See I haven't been completely inactive =p)The downside of Facebook is not being able to create full-length posts that are text heavy. Thank God I have Blogger to satisfy that need. Also lately I've been enamored with fashion marketing and constantly find myself wanting to do posts that Facebook simply isn't great for. So that's a new perspective I plan to bring to the blog.

I planned to keep this short so I'll stop babbling here. Just know I WILL be returning. In the meantime, join me on Facebook.

What do you think of the modified header and layout aka proof that I am making plans to return? ;)

Here & There

Few outfits from random summer days and nights. In athese pictures my clothes are literally all from H&M. Sad, I know. Lol Shoes in order of appearance: Jeffrey Campbell, Steve Madden, Vans & Steve Madden again.

Headed to Manhattan

Show Me Your Closet

Last time I posted I was on my way to Ayodelle's home to check her closet out. I did, and the following weekend I went to Tanya's to do the same. Initially I wanted to do individual posts but in the back of my mind I knew it only made sense to aggregate the two. When I was recruiting women for this venture both had stated their overall goals were to improve their work wardrobes. After visiting them, I saw they had even more in common:

• Both want to learn how to mix and match their attire better
• Come up with creative ways to remix staples
• Both have West Indian roots- Delle's from the Virgin Islands and Tanya's from Bermuda
• Their ideal style is effortless chic; simple; sophisticated
• They have similar body types- what's labelled as the "Inverted Triangle"

Ayodelle

Tanya

I feel as though it was fate Delle and Tanya reached out to me after I'd made the announcement on my Facebook page. Our tastes and body types are pretty similar. I'm also a fan of basics and dressing my broad shoulders are always something I keep in mind when shopping. Only difference is their "girls" trump mine any day. Lol So the biggest challenge for me is going to be dressing larger breasts. It's more than welcomed because this blog was, after all, started to learn more about styling different body types!

However, instead of focusing on their body types on my first visit, I decided to dive right into working towards their goals.

Last to Know

There's something gratifying about being the first to know or just being in the know. And there's that stupid feeling when you're the last to know something.  By the header of this post you know I'm feeling rather daft. Lol

Came across the blog Style Pantry yesterday while browsing some others and was flabbergasted I'd never heard about it yet. The blog is frickin' amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, maybe I overdid it on the exclamation marks but I fell completely in love the minute the page loaded.  I'm a very visual person so the graphics and layout were pleasing to the eyes.  Then I immediately hit the 'My Style' tab and fell in love all over again. Folake Kuye Huntoon's style is ridiculously incredible and inspiring.  I could go on and on about her sense of style because I did have a style-orgasm while looking at her pics but there's something else I wanna tell ya...

Remember the reason I started this blog?  If you thought this blog was about my personal style, it really isn't.  In case you missed it, I talked about it here.  And if you're too lazy to click, in a nutshell, I'll be working with a group of women who want help with their style and I'll be documenting the journey.

Today I'm up bright and early to head to Delle's house (met her and the other women here).  It's been long overdue and I'm so excited to finally get the process started.  Had no idea how difficult it would be coordinating everyone's schedules but it was well worth the wait.

Here's to getting the Get Julu'd project going!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!  And which one of you knew about Style Pantry and didn't tell me?!!

My Weekend in Style

Just a quick look at my outfits I wore this weekend, including today.

Friday

Went to my sister's graduation which was the perfect time for me to pull out my Zara caftan I mentioned some time ago. Belted it to create a waistline and also to make it short; it fit just above my knee and I like my dresses short. ;-)

Dress: Zara  Shoes: Steve Madden  Earrings: Vintage  Ring & Sunnies: F21  Cuff: sister's

Chopped and Shoes

Here's yet another edition of chopped photos. Just love those don't you? =P  I'll work on that over the summer, I swear.

Anywho...

It's been ridiculously hot in NYC this past week and it seems the summertime weather is here to stay.  Needless to say, I've traded in all my winter jeans for my favorite summer staples: shorts! I usually buy them in a khaki material just because they keep me cooler than denim shorts do. And after months of wearing denim, do I really need to wear more in the summer? Linen's also another pant favorite during the summer.

These photos are from last Thursday and Saturday respectively.

Vest, Rings & Belt: H&M  Top: Old Navy  Earrings: Yumnah Najah

really Blogger?

Just a quick question: is anyone else having trouble posting comments on blogs they follow? 

When I select Google Account it asks me to sign in although I already am, and then when it reroutes back to the blog it shows me as Anonymous. I still try to add the comment and that doesn't go through.

If anyone else has that issue let me know how you were able to resolve it, but I'm guessing it's a glitch since I have been able to post on others.

Anywho, have a great Memorial weekend, happy shopping and be safe! xoxo

Memorial Weekend '10. Clothing: all H&M  Shoes: Steve Madden
  Earrings: vintage  Other Accessories: H&M

I kinda miss my hair like this =/

randoms from the Blackberry

Been itching to post for the longest but I've been busy getting these final exams out of the way. Just one more presentation tomorrow and I'll be free to post as much as my heart desires. Until then, here's a bunch of random photos from my phone. All style related of course. ;-)

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Late last year the craft bug bit me when I had no idea what to do with my growing magazine collection. Can't remember how the idea came to me, but eventually I recycled the mags into pins along with some other recycled materials.

First set of pins I made

Friends loved 'em so I made them a few

My friend Desidine rockin' her "Diva" pin

 As much as I loved the idea of repurposing materials, the process is a bit too time-consuming so I developed a new way to make them. Did this prototype just a few hours ago; needs some work but I've got a lot of free time coming up to perfect it.

New prototype

Hope, Love & Peace

So my HP decided to crash last week. -_- Then my brother's the next day; he has an HP as well. If I didn't know any better I'd say someone hacked our network connection because that's a bit too coincidental for me. But anyway...

Since the crash I've been extremely demotivated to blog simply because my back-up files are located on West Bubbaf*ck off my computer.  However, photos that I've been planning to blog are starting to pile up so I decided I'd go through the trouble of locating and posting some.

These ones are from about/over a month ago when the cold was starting to thaw out. Was able to wear just my Hollister puffer that day, which was a relief from all the winter layers.

Baby On Board

Save the congratulations. I am not pregnant. I repeat, I am NOT pregnant. Lol

This quick post is however dedicated to all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there. Happy Mother's Day in advance!

Phantom of the Harem Pants

Walking zombie. That's the only way I can possibly describe what I felt like today, technically yesterday (Saturday).  Spent the night in Mount Vernon at one of my girlfriend's where we had game night with a bunch of other friends. It was fun to say the least. Shoutout to the Usual Suspects!

But anyway, the crowd didn't leave until after six and I was able to sneak in an hour nap before getting up to go work on the slaveship. I don't think I've ever had to fight to stay awake as much as I did today. The hot chocolate I had with my sausage-egg-and-cheese didn't help either, or the two hour wait to do my taxes later that day. 

When I got home the only thing I wanted to do was stuff my guts and pass out but I found the energy to take some pictures of my outfit 'cause let's just say I felt really stylish today despite the zombie feeling.

Kobe Birthday

I'm now six years closer to 30, my "ideal" age. In 2017 I envision myself being through with all my degrees and certifications I want to attain, settled in a career, finances in order and starting a family possibly.  But in the meantime I'm stuck at 24.

Had thoughts of doing this blog post all weekend with no particular goal in mind and I realized I didn't take any birthday pictures, which was on Friday. I'd done the regular work-and-school thing, then attended the annual fashion show the Black Students Union put on at my school.  Last year I didn't go but my friends Christine and Akil were walking, so I wasn't missing it. Albeit my digital camera was full and my video cam takes crappy five megapixel pictures. Unfortunately, I can't take the images from my head and post 'em. =/ Twas a great show though! Hopefully I can edit the post with a YouTube upload. I know someone had to have taped it.

But back to being 24...

This year style-wise I really want to cut out the impulse and trendy buying.  The dress I wore on Friday was very much both of those things.  Got it the day before after I had vowed I'd just wear something I already owned and had never worn. So much for that! The dress'll be great for the summer but I don't predict wearing it out as I get older.



Wore it with black tights and my Steve Madden Dynastee's



I'm always pretty sure about what I like and what suits my body; it's just time to rewire my brain to reconfigure my style in something much more demure without losing the edge and fun I like to add to my looks. I can't wait for it to warm up so I can experiment, and try things I usually wouldn't wear. Mentioned in a previous post I'd gotten a caftan dress from Zara and that's probably my first out-of-the-box buy for the summer I'm dying to wear with  these beauties called Rego from Steve Madden.

Side Note: wedges are gonna be my go-to-heels for this summer.

With that said, I took some pics a few minutes ago, to add some color to the post, in a sailor-inspired look but in a non-traditional color palette.

Top & Shorts: H&M, Wedges: Steve Madden, Sunnies: Forever21



Red and green are complimentary colors so they look great together. Snakeskin print in khaki and olive tones blend right in 



I can totally see myself doing this look for the summer. But I need new olive shorts. Seems I've gained some weight over the winter. =/

Extra Ventilation

So I'm going to get straight to the point: what's up with people, both male and female, wearing jeans that are ripped in the crotch??

About a month ago I'm jumping into my favorite pair of Old Navy jeans and heard the God-awful ripping noise. This was the result:

My sister was laughing at me while I felt like crying. Not because it may be an indication that I grew out of them, but because they were my go-to jeans; quite a departure from the hate I once had for them when my mom bought them some years ago.  I knew I had to retire them. No way in hell was I going to embarrass myself. What if they ripped even more?? So here I am with these thoughts and then I see a girl on the train last night with my rip x 10! o_0

Now, this isn't the first time I've seen someone do it. I'd been even more amazed one time when I saw a guy do it seeing that they have "hanging parts", and he was dressed quite dapper.  That immediately changed my perception of him. Doesn't one's level of self-consciousness go on red alert when we have a rip so close to the area we wear clothes to cover in the first place? Or does the built-in air conditioning feel so good it outweighs that?? Not to mention it just looks untidy. I don't get it. Unless it happened to you while you were out and it's no intentional. I've seen someone put more rips in their jeans to make it look like a "style", so I know people wear it consciously. -_-

Destroyed denim is hot. Ripped crotches? Not so much.