In September I shared a quote from Pharrell out of BULLETT Magazine, a quarterly publication, which in my fashion, I feel like I am taken through a great balance of global fashion coverage. This Fall 2011 edition was "The Romance Issue" where they explore diverse expressions of love, chalk full of uniquely imaginative fashion concepts to get you in the mood for the direction I'm going with this month's theme on #IMFblog in regards to relationships and the laws of attraction. Their editorial spread "It Had to Be You" for example, I am sure, would get any of us in the mood for love. This salacious display of lusciously styled couples is an visual orgasmic experience, for this spread explodes with vibrant color combinations, over scale patterns, and a treasure trove of varying textures—an awesome show of what this FW2012 season trends are all about. Ponder over the following excerpts from the issues, "Editor's Letter" from Editor-In-Chief, Idil Tabanca, which, in my fashion, accounts for a very universal definition of love and romance:
Romance is defined as emotion over libido, the overwhelming feelings of love and admiration surpassing our animal instincts and driving us to display selfless acts of affection, pursuit, sacrifice, patience, and respect.
From the Trojan War to Brangelina, love's indomitable gestures have always played a major historical part in shaping humanity. A raw manifestation of love almighty, romance influences all walks of art and life, subtly shepherding us through our daily routines, making them bearable, and, at times, magical.
Last month, I traveled to home to visit my brother for his birthday. My brother is a sophomore in High School and is a student athlete taking up football, basketball, and track. Me and my brother are seven years apart, and when I look at him I can't help to always remember him as my personal walk by punching bag of a brother. Only difference is, his punches come back just as hard as I throw them and I realize is becoming a man! As I talked with him and catch up on life, there were times when I found myself taking away life lessons from him and gaining strength from his words. I am proud to be able to learn from him because its showing me that he is learning the things that will make him a capable of taking care of himself, which is the one thing I want to not have to worry too much about when he leaves the comfort of our parents home. The video below is one which he shared with me that he gains inspiration and drive from, not just as an athlete, but as a growing young adult.
In
my fashion, some very empowering words were said in this video. "If you
want something, work at it!" In my fashion, a man can get anything he wants in life if he
can show that he is"willing to put in the work” and exude effort. “Effort is what is inside of you!" This month sort of goes back to my posts on Movement, for people who show the most effort, get exactly what they want out of life. Don't be lazy! In my fashion, a man
who exudes that he can put forth the effort to contribute to others betterment
are the most attractive men on this planet, and is the central quality a man can
show to impress a women—and keep her. This month I want men to remember to not
be lazy when it comes to creating dynamic looks for yourself day to day. “Its presence
and essence that determines respect.”
This
month I want to explore the crazy world of relationships. In the end, we all
want to find that one person we can find companionship with. We as men want to
attract to the most “fit” partner to walk with us in this life. This month I
will be looking at the laws of attraction, and how we men can do what we can to
bring happiness to our women. I found an interesting blog, LovetoAttract.com, which
seeks to understand love and relationships. In my fashion
its good information if you wish understand yourself further to take a better hold of your love life. This month, I'm talking to the men who are committed
to improving themselves daily; the ones
looking for true love and companionship; the ones who want to be the best
boyfriend, husband, father, son, and brother to the women in their lives. I do
not endorse careless philandering and mistreatment of women, because if the
tables were turned, men would not want women to mistreat them in that way
either. I am also talking to the men who
want to live most usefully on this planet, because to do so, is to live up to
your full potential, and what's more fulfilling than “MANifesting Your Destiny”.
In my fashion,we were all placed
here for a reason, and it’s our duty, especially
as men, to be strong enough to live up to our destiny!Kelly Rowland said it best in her song “Work-It Man” from her most recent album “Here I Am”: Every good women is looking for a “Work-It Man”. Are you a "work-it
man"? The one thing to remember this
month is to be aware of the fact that the more effort you put into something, most
likely, eventually, you will get it. Martin Luther King Jr. quoted, "One's sense of manhood must come from
within." As I have found, what we are on the inside tends to reveal its
self on the outside through our appearance. Is what you are on the inside attractive?
Style
is simply another word for character. Character is what is inside you, and your
character determines your integrity. As
I have found, if we as men are going to be able to fulfill our roles as men, it
is imperative that we focus daily on building on our integrity! Few
things on this Earth are more important than integrity, and we should always
strive to portray excellence when it comes to our integrity. As I have
postulated before on #IMFblog, "Excellence
is the result of caring about what you do and putting your very best effort
into what you care about," and from what we gather from the video above, "Greatness is a bunch of small things
done well, day after day.” In my
fashion, if we men aspire to do great things for ourselves, and to be able to
take care of the ones we love, putting in the effort to exude excellence at a
viewer's first glance, everyday, will send the message to everyone that you are “available”—available
compatibility-wise; available to take on a challenge; available to be a part of
something greater than yourself. Fashion is a great vehicle to help one focus
on aspiring to be better than you were yesterday. To MAN-ifest
your destiny, be daring in a positive way and insist on living usefully,
putting in 100% effort, every day, in all that you do, and that is how I
believe we men can reach out true perfection—man or women.
Of
course, a main aspect of attraction has to deal with how we look. Even though
fashion is primarily a women’s
business, men are proving to be more than accessories to the fact in our modern
day. The men’s market has grown quite substantially globally, and this month I
will be focusing on what options we men have these days in fashion, especially
for this coming spring. The men’s fashion market is booming more than ever
before, so allow #IMFblog help you find some uniquely interesting looks to show
off your character. Normally, macho men quiver at the thought of the
metrosexual mentality, but taking care of ourselves is an important aspect of
life, and doesn't have to be seen as "feminist". Maybe you don't want evolve to
having to manicure your image all day, but in my fashion, there are ways each
of us males can appear as though we deserve to be magazine-worthy at all times.
Women judge our style just as much as men fiend and ogle over women. I want to encourage all men to aspire to look
as though they deserve to be cast in a magazine campaign on a daily basis, just as women do for men. Don't be afraid to be a bit more daring and
experimental in your look some days, because it can be very enticing and appealing if you are
able to pull off an original look with optimism and confidence. Women
appreciate a bold man who is content in who he is, what he is doing with his
life, where he is going in his life, and that he is fearless as to what others think of
him. In my fashion, exuding confidence, optimism, and originality in your dress
is the easiest way to increase the chances that women walking past you feel obligatedto take a second glance. The second glance is the desired reaction
we want from women, for if u can get her attention, you have at least won half
the battle. This is what fashion is for!
Instead of Adam and Eve, it's Adam and KEN.
I thank the Lord for making us one.
Considering it is Valentine's Day, I thought this would be the perfect time for me to introduce my partner in crime, my better half, my icing to my cake, my best friend, muse, and boyfriend, Dwight (aka @Ken_Dutchess). Dwight and I met some years ago in college, and became good friends for a good while before I officially tricked him into being my boyfriend (*lies and fairytales). There was no deceiving of any sort actually. The nature of our relationship was quite organic and natural, which is exactly how I would describe the style of our relationship. Something just told me that he was just "good" for me somehow, so I continued to hang around, and see what would happen.
There are two types of people in the world: introverts and extroverts. I am an introvert, and Dwight is an extrovert. We are complete opposites, yet if you know us personally, there is not a time when we are not in communication with each other. We are obsessed with each other. We live off the ideal of "Love first; emotions second". We interpret it to mean that no matter what mistakes we make on our road of life together, we will make sure our love triumphs over immaturity, irrational decisions, and selfishness. We have a connection on a physical, mental, and spiritual level that together makes the whole of the love that we share. In my fashion, this type of the connection makes for the strongest relationships.
Read on to understand more about us, and see what transpired the night of Valentine's Day...
