Fashion’s Night Out NYC 2010!

In case you’re dead or seriously just came back from a part of the world where the only inhabitants were sheep, here’s a newsflash: September 9th was the beginning of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Friday, September 10, was the public’s introduction to the Week with Fashion’s Night Out, a celebration of fashion and all it’s accompaniments.  FNO is a mix of events, promotions, and introductions of a new products not limited to strictly fashion but incorporating food, music, and general fun.

Some of the Masque gang and friends went exploring NYC starting in the Meat Packing District, wandering to Bloomingdale’s and then back down to Soho to end the night. Here’s a little of what went down:

We started at Pop Burger (Ninth Ave between 14th and 15th) where Dev the Fabulous and Bossman Kelly were already chowing down. I came in just before our friend Jess and after a few more moments of chit chat, we were off and running.

Joshua Bennett: “Ten Things I Want to Say to a Black Woman”

Joyous weekends to you all!

Ran across a video from a young man named Joshua Bennett. A recent graduate from UPenn (he accomplishments are astounding! Check out his graduation speech here).

Now I will speak to you, my audience, as a Black woman in her 20′s in 2010. More often that not, we get so caught up in our studies, blogging and beauty and forget what has shaped who we are. The words of those before Us educated the world about Our struggles (and in the midst of this Antoine Dodson foolywang, this is SO refreshing it’s not even funny).

Joshua Bennett manages to find the most pristine words to describe our encounters. From men on the street to music videos, this poem encapsulates how men used to feel about their women. Does this still hold true today?

Thank you, Josh, for this spoken word piece. We appreciate it.

You can find Josh on Twitter and Youtube. Check him out, he’s ridiculously good at what he does.

(Note: Though Joshua has dedicated his poem to Black Women, this is really applicable for ANY woman. We all go through similar things!)

Surprise! A Tiny Victorian Cottage in the Catskills

There is an old saying that tells you never to judge a book by its cover. Many of life’s treasures can be found in the smallest places, and a woman named Sandra Foster is alive to attest.

This is her home, and you will not believe what is behind those doors.

MASQUE Moxie: Casey Versailles

Now is the time for Graphic Design. Visual creativity is booming on all fronts – even throughout business and technical industries. Who better for the job than a woman with art in her heart and the drive to execute? Her name is Casey Versailles, and she is a Freelance Graphic Artist/Designer that “helps people visually translate their personas”.

Casey describes herself as “a creative soul born in the Bayou BAY BAY! I love my GOD, my family, my art, my food, , and my music. I hate being like everyone else. What’s the point of trying to be like everyone else?  You were created individually so be an individual!“.

Etsy Craft Night + South Street Seaport

Crafting keeps me sane. The therapeutic rhythmic in-and-out of a thread being sewn takes me to a deep place, reminding me of an elderly woman in her rocking chair lost in her own thoughts.

Etsy Labs (a summer fave!) had a Craft Night on July 28 at South Street Seaport in NYC. Sponsored by Hancock Fabrics, the meetup was a chance to connect with fellow crafters and snag some arts goodies.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with name tags and cantaloupe. My name is Kelly. I <3 boys.

Etsy furnished the event with cafeteria style seating (which happened to be very conducive to stranger-to-stranger conversation), scissors, felt, embroidery rounds, needles and thread. To honor the event’s location, Hancock Fabrics dished out a very cute and appropriate naval print fabric. My end result?

Etsy has been, and will continue, hosting  craft events this summer. To keep track of them all, visit them here. Make sure to make it out for at least one of these, they’re so much fun!

The Jacqueline Factor – ladies in Media

I good buddy of mine (hey Life is Bliss!) is part the Marcus Graham Project – an amalgamation of African – American men in the Advertising industry. The creators united under the stigma that there was a lack of these men within their workplaces, and they want to work to empower other young African – American men. Being a graduate of the best college in Harlem (CCNY!), I know that there are Black men in the advertising industry. I also know that there are LOTS of Black women.

For those of my many girlfriends in the Advertising/Media/Communications industries, I please ask that you join The Jacqueline Factor – the female counterpart of The Marcus Graham Project. It seeks to build a network of women in the fields of marketing, media, advertising and communications.

Become a member today!

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, BAM!

The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater International Tour will be stopping by the Brooklyn Academy of Music for one week only. Alvin Ailey is celebrating it’s 50th year, so tickets range from $16 (yes, you read that correctly) to $85. Try to catch this while you can!

Visit here to purchase tickets.

A Souvenir for my Mom.

This past year, we’ve been a part of something truly historic. The monumental election of our great president, Barack Obama, had the entire country experiencing something we’ve been yearning for for some time now – a true unity that was beyond words.

Nnamdi Osuagwu of Ice Cream Melts knew that this was an event that needed to be documented. Because so many of us couldn’t make it out to the inauguration, something like “A Souvenir for my Mom” is priceless. Nnamdi walks around to the multicultural, multiracial, multireligious, multi-everything crowd at inauguration and gets comments and very different perspectives from the onlookers. 

The very beautiful, emotional accounts of the 2009 inauguration that are featured in “A Souvenir for my Mom” are definitely something worth checking out. Take a peek here:

for more info visit the “A Souvenir for my Mom” site, or visit Nnamdi at Ice Cream Melts.

About Ice Cream Melts:

Ice Cream Melts, LLC is a cutting edge Publishing and Production Company that specializes in ‘Human Element’ projects within film and literature. Human Element projects capture the raw emotions and energy of the people.

All of the books published by Ice Cream Melts,LLC are interactive and have an associated online social networking component. These components enable readers and site visitors to interact on the company’s website (www.IceCreamMelts.com) through blogging, vlogging (videoblogging) or just sharing comments based on topics read in the book.

COLOUR-IN DRESS

by Berber Soepboer & Michiel Schuurman 2008

Customizable plus who doesn’t love to color??? More pics after the jump.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crayon Rings

dope crayon rings by designer Timothy Liles

Sold at The Future Perfect and Oye Modern