‘Tis the Season: A Year in Review

I love this time of year! No, no, no … I’m not talking about the plethora of holidays – that is, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Day and Kwanzaa – which makes up the holiday season. Instead, I’m talking about another reason for me to shop: the beginning of awards season! And come January 2, 2018; there will be plenty of brunches, lunches, parties, after parties, gifting suites, screenings, etc. for me to attend that I won’t have time to do laundry or complain that “I don’t have anything to wear!”

Right now, I’m carefully curating my awards season wardrobe so I can be red-carpet ready next year. And I’m carefully watching the waistline so I can get into my new clothes. Some mac ‘n cheese here and sweet potato pie there can easily cause a 10-pound weight gain, and sideline my fashion options.

I love blinging things! My latest arts-and-craft project is the strassing of these NearlyNude block heel sandals by Stuart Weitzman. I can’t wait to wear them to some fancy, smacy red–carpet event.

It’s the perfect season to add yet another LBD (little black dress) to my wardrobe. I can’t wait to wear this long, black tulle skirt I found on sale at Bloomingdale’s. And given the fashion trend of embellishments – inspired by fashion gods like Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana – I’m revamping some of my old, favorite clothes AND shoes with DIY projects, using Swarovski crystals, sequins and rhinestone patches, and of course, glitter! With some E-6000 glue and a toothpick, I meticulously blinged out the heels of one of my favorite shoes, the NearlyNude block heel sandals by Stuart Weitzman. In eight hours, I made a great pair of shoes look simply amazing! (Side note: YouTube DIY videos are terribly addicting, and DTLA’s Fashion District is a goldmine of stuff! Shout out to the Bead Factory on Maple Avenue.)

Correction: In my article, I mistakenly called my shoes by the wrong name, the Nudist. It’s the Stuart Weitzman version with the sky-high stiletto heel. And trust me, after several attempts, and many broken heels, I’ve come to the conclusion that I cannot carry the weight of my body on a stiletto heel!

But I digress. In my latest column for the California Crusader, I do a quick year in review of all the good tv and films of 2017 with a little help from my friends at the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA). “Get Out,” written and directed by Jordan Peele, has crossed the $250 million mark worldwide, gobbling up awards along the way. In fact, “Get Out” topped the AAFCA’s  Top 10 list of Best Picture.

For my year in review, check out my latest column, which appeared in the December 21, 2017 of the California Crusader News. CCN#51_DEC_21_2017w

Gotta run, I’m heading out for the after-Christmas sales! There’s still more deals to be had!

“Get Out,” written and directed by Jordan Peele, has been named the top film by many film critic associations, including the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA).