Style Maven: Nicki Minaj

The many faces of Ms. Minaj
Photo Credits: [VIBE Magazine Feb/Mar 2012]

Available April 3rd

On these last days of the month I would like to close it out by helping to contribute to the record sales of Nicki Minaj's album sales. Nicki works hard at marketing herself (check out her twitter timeline @NICKIMINAJ) and I implore all to go out and purchase a copy of her second album "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded" for Nicki is making history and gaining success and becoming an influence in other areas aside from simply being an rap artist. Not only does she represent turning your fantasies into realty, but she has helped (almost singlehandedly) to bring Hip-Hop to the forefront of the entertainment industry again, which could be due to of course her sheer talent, her special guest features in a range of other high profile artist's songs in the beginning of her career, and her rise to fashion icon. In my fashion, she is a rapping-business-chameleon,  representing the best example of how to sell oneself to the world, offering it something wildly original, bold, beautiful, and strong, yet classy the entire time representing having the restraint and reserve a women should have.

Style Watch: M.I.A.

Do you remember in 2007 when the everyone seemed to be obsessed with the urban folk style rap sound of the Grammy nominated song, "Paper Planes"? Sans Madonna (see Vogue Makes a Cameo at the Superbowl), M.I.A. has released another track sporting her unique blend of urban-Saudi-punk-rock-refugee style. This video having been shot in Ouarzazate, Morocco, and pretty much using side winding cars as back ground dancers, it gives the video a very fun, California-like feel that is very consumer relatable than her past work, yet highly international. Given that this month was all about "Female Empowerment Through Positive Dressing" here on IMF.blog, I am glad to be featuring this video in light of  Women to Drive Movement in Saudi Arabia,  which is what the video's statement lines up with. In my fashion, this video, along with a lot of her past songs (Boyz, Bamboo Banga, Come Around), brings me such inspiration, and fills me such a desire to liven up my life in the present moment. She inspires me to be unique and colorful, yet urban and cool, and strong and off-beat. Her bravado is very interesting considering her cultural background and it makes me wonder, how can so many influences be represented by one girl so cohesively? However she does it, I can't wait to see what this eclectic artist has to offer this summer with her said to release untitled album for 2012.

If you need any different and unique outfit ideas, I approve this video as a good source! How much more unconventional can one get with M.I.A in the mix.

Style Maven: Carine Roitfeld

In my fashion, the Vogue woman is a woman who uses fashion to their advantage in the world. She uses clothes to supplement and propel her to the next level of her life. She expresses her importance through the solidarity of her stylistic invention. She allows her clothes to speak for her and say everything she needs to say to the world without even having to part her lips. A Vogue woman doesn't associate her style with just anything, but instinctively knows what is good for her, and has a good reason for why or why not a piece is good for them. Clothes represent her main medium of communicating with others in the world. In Paris, Carine Roitfeld, ex-Editor-in-Chief of Paris Vogue,  is the epitome of this definition. Watch the video to view a personified version of my definition below.

"She is completely the epitome of what a French elegant woman
that likes fashion is." ~ Mario Testino

Sartorial Philosophies

Guess what I'm thinking about...

Just the other day, I tweeted that I think too much about fashion. Then I thought to myself, "Oh well!" This got me to thinking about a video that I used to watch everyday to give me my daily words of encouragement. It is called "The Strangest Secret" by Earl Nightingale. This video has helped me to realize that we can be successful no matter where we are at in our lives; it just takes a bit of soul searching, and most importantly, FOCUS. In the video, Earl Nightingale observes a series of great definitions and quotes that we all can live by and use to understand our lives and where we are going. Some examples include:

-Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal

-"The opposite of courage  in our society is not cowardice, it's conformity." ~ Rollo May

-95% of men/women will not succeed because they conform!

-Instead of competing, all we have to do is create!

-The key to success/failure: We become what we think about! 

-"All we are is what we have thought about." ~ Buddha

-If you think about nothing, you become nothing!

-Universities tell us that we are only working on 10% of our abilities

-We MUST control our thinking! The same rule that can lead a man to a life of

success...can lead him to the gutter. Its all in how he uses it!

-All you need is purpose and faith. Don't worry. Hold your goal before you, and everything

else will take care of itself.

-Anyone who contributes to prosperity, gains prosperity.

-The architect of the universe did not build a staircase leading no where.

Preserving Style: Olive Oil

Photo Credit: [source]

When it comes to taking care of my body, I had always wanted to find the simplest and most intelligent way of grooming myself.I was interested in following a regimen that would produce results that left me feeling fresh, and clean, without feeling like I've globed on a plethora of different beauty products. Just like many teens, I experienced a certain bout with acne. I literally spent so much money on acne creams, and cleansers, astringents, toners, even going as far as obtaining a prescription from my physician. I detest acne! Now as I said before in my first "Preserving Style" post, in my fashion, what I have found is that outer beauty begins with the health of your skin, and that natural, holistic ways of taking care of oneself is the safest way to go about life. 

After a few years of realizing that I was obsessing too much about my acne problem, I decided to do research on how ancient civilizations kept there skin clear and healthy,after all, they did not have all the products and luxuries that we have now in our technologically dependent society. I figured that being that we are creatures of nature, if we use natural products to take care of ourselves (as nature intended), I should be able to not only keep from stressing, and throwing money down the drain, but I could also benefit my body in ways that synthetic products cannot, especially in regards to longevity.  

Thinking back on my childhood, my mother had always taught me that olive oil was one of the most healthy oils we use for cooking, and she would even go as far as to apply hot olive oil to our scalps for extra moisture. When I would tell my friends of my mothers beauty techniques, they would think it was so strange to apply olive oil to your body instead of just a cooking component, so I researched the origins of the olive oil and found that olives and olive oil has quite a lineage.

The Greek goddess,
Athena

What I found is that natives to the Grecian island Crete have been cultivating the olive tree since 3500BC during the early Minoan period using it as a main staple plant for their economic growth [source]. Athens, the capital of Greece, received its name from the goddess, Athena, but an interesting story tells of how the city got their name...

"How the city of Athens got its name is also a curious story. Apparently, both Poseidon (the sea god) and Athena competed to win the favor of the Greeks. So, each of them gave a gift to the city people, who would then decide which was the best one (the most useful). Poseidon thrust his trident into the ground and a spring gushed forth. Although the spring created a port in the city which would enable trade, the water of the spring was salty and not fit to drink. Athena, on the other hand, gave the city an Olive tree. The tree could be used for wood, the fruit for food and oil. The Greeks preferred the gift of the Olive tree, and hence the city was named 'Athens' after Athena the goddess of wisdom." [source]

When I think about Athena, I think of how critical it is to seek wisdom, for wisdom is an awesome aspect to anyone's style. "Happy is the man who finds wisdom and gains understanding," says Proverbs 3:13, which can be interpreted just as its written. All of the questions that we ask ourselves about our lives (who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going) can be answered when we seek wisdom, and act in accordance to our understandings of the truth. Athena's appearance is always described as having gray eyes which were shining. She would always be accompanied by an owl. An owl is a symbol of wisdom and is a bird that has the capability of seeing in the dark. Often, Athena is also accompanied by the Goddess of Victory, Nike. Athena is always depicted wearing armor and a helmet [source].

Athena is an interesting goddess, because she was wise enough to consider the olive tree as her gift to the people of Greece. In my fashion, this is the best example of how it is better to be wise than to be strong. Her wisdom gained her eternal glory in the eyes of the Grecians, and because of her wisdom we will always think of, Athena, when we think of the city of Athens, and this is truly how one lives on forever. In my fashion, to have that type of influence over people where people will always remember you for exemplifying a grand quality of yourself to the most excellent standards is the best gift you can bring to this Earth.

Weekly IMF.blog Health Tips

Photo Credits: [source] [source] [source] [source]

If you haven't already noticed at the bottom of the IMF.blog side panel, there has been a new feature that has been added. It is the "Weekly IMF.blog Health Tip" feature. As I said in my post from, Vogue Makes a Cameo at the Superbowl, we want to prepare our bodies for looking good in our old age. The only way to do that is to be conscience of our health, right? Now with all the health advice out there, it is really hard to figure out what to do when it comes to taking care of ourselves. I simply want to throw out some short, easy to remember, interesting, and beneficial quips on health for you to take, remember, don't remember, tweet, tell someone about, look more into, whatever. Continue to check back with this post throughout the year to see what facts I have added to this post at the beginning of each week.

Style Watch: Neon Hitch

Remember this little fireball below that found her way into Gym Class Heroes music video for their single, "Ass Back Home"? In case you couldn't remember her name, it is Neon Hitch, and she is a new artist, once again, from the UK. The UK has really found their way into the US market with so much new talent coming in and inspiring us Americans with their lovely, but eclectic variations in sound (i.e. Jessie J, Ellie Goulding, Adele). Even though I didn't know who this bombshell was when I first saw the video, I was captivated by the firey glow of this girls hair, which brings out the best of her sparkling eyes. She was a joy to see in the video, but seeing that today is International Women's Day, I chose to highlight this UK star because of a video she has done all her own...Click play! 

Style Maven: Rihanna

To develop your own style, a good way of doing so is to choose a person you admire a great deal and emulate them. While many people would call this "copying", have you ever fathomed that "fashion" is all about the art of copying: copying a feeling, and attitude, a look, or an aura. Its not so much about "copying", but it's about gaining inspiration. For example, anyone who knows Dwight can guess who his "Style Maven" is. Take a look below at this video I pulled from my archives of a video we did casually on a beautiful day. We were so inspired by the scenery we had to film this for it was just so appropriate for the song. See if you can't guess who Dwight personally looks to stylistically.  

Click through to confirm your answer (wink)....

Recap: Fall/Winter 2012 Ready-to-Wear (Part 7)

March 7, 2012 will be the last day of Paris Fashion Week (PFW), and the final day of the Fall/Winter 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collections. I will continue to keep you posted on other seasons including Pre-Spring, Spring Couture, and Resort 2013 Collections when they come around. After I have finished reviewing the collections and posting my tops to IMF.blog for this season, I will be dissecting what I think will be (and should be) must have trends and looks for this Fall 2012! Happy dressing, ALL!  



Photos courtesy of style.com
A.F. Vandevorst, Albino, Balenciaga, Bally

Photos courtesy of style.com
Cedric Charlier, Christophe Lemaire, Danielle Scutt, Dries van Noten

Photos courtesy of style.com
Empori Armani, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Gareth Pugh, Isabel Marant

Style Watch: Jennifer Hudson

It looks as though Jennifer Hudson has finally come into her new skin (literally). We could definetely see a difference in Jennifer Hudson's waistline, and now I think we are seeing two points come together with a difference in her confidence and persona. Hudson always had the sass, and the attitude, but with this weight loss she is really showing that she can do anything. Mind over matter, right? If you havn't seen this music video already, which is the lead single for the upcoming movie, "Think Like a Man" (in theaters April 20, 2012), check it out here.

EDITOR'S LETTER: March 2012

When I reflect back on last month, it was actually quite a personal one for me. Not only is February the month I was born, in recognition of my heritage, it was also Black History Month, and this Valentine's Day I really took the time and effort to express my love for my better half, Dwight, in a creative and romantic way (and everything went according to plan, which doesn't happen often). The largest reason for why I consider this such a "personal" month for myself is that it was also the birth of IMF.blog. This blog is truly a labor of love and dedication to fashion, better living, and spreading valuable knowledge that you, my readers, can take away and use for yourself. In my fashion, I would hope that in this short time I have been developing IMF.blog that everyone is able to understand my mission in creating this blog. I want for those who visit to understand where I come from as far as what fashion can do for you in your life if you work to develop your own singular style. In my fashion, one should use fashion to:

1. Become your best self and reach your highest potential (Dress for the part you want, not the one that you are in)
2. Understand your life (Understand who you are, and how you became who you are in order to learn the reasons you do the things you do, and how you best cope with the world around you)
3. Use fashion to have fun, enjoy life, and anticipate what greatness you have to look forward to in life (First impressions are key. One should always intend to look their best, for it's never known when someone important is observing you and your mannerisms) 
4. Use it to stay current and show others your relevance in this life by finding creative ways to sport the current trends of the moment in your own, individualistic manner (there is power in "Positive Dressing")
5. Don't worry about others, and stay within the comfort of who you are and what your style is
6. Use it, most importantly, to alter your state of mind!

When you care for yourself and understand how you want to be cared for, others then can care for you and help you in the ways that you need to be helped so you can reach your highest potential. I thank everyone who comes to view my blog, and to those who spread my knowledge to your peers to aid in bettering each other.

This month I am going to ask an important favor of those who view my blog. I would really like to exercise the feature on my side panel entitled "Follow IMF.blog via Email" at the top of the page, and underneath my profile entitled "About IMF.blog". I would really like to keep in contact with those who view my blog, and even though I may not be able to speak with you face-to-face to fill you in on new IMF.blog Posts and features, with the "Follow IMF.blog via Email" feature whenever I make a new blog post, you will get the alert that I have done so. I promise, you are NOT going to NOT want to have these alerts, for I am sure the content I provide will bring a smile to your face for the day, which is the ultimate goal of IMF.blog. (P.S. Feel free to leave comments on posts you feel some type of way about! Lets open a dialogue)