Image is Everything...

What you need to know about styling and shopping besides FASHION!

2011-05-06T19:12:00.007-04:00

I got a message today from one of my new Facebook friends. She wanted to know what tips or pointers I could give her about becoming a personal shopper and stylist. Now if I had a dollar for every time I got asked this question, LOL!!!

Phew!!

Shopping/Styling is not just about popping into a store or showroom and grabbing everything and anything (the horror); putting it on the client and getting your check. Its more about getting to truly know the client and anticipating their every need - closet wise/image-wise ! Maybe it's my Executive assistant background, but it's what I have always used to assist my clients. This is honestly the hardest part of the job in itself. A lot of people know themselves well enough to tell you what it is they like or what they wished they looked like; and quite a few people haven't a clue!!! As a stylist , it's not just your job to dress people, but you have to truly get to know them. Why? Well if you don't, you run the risk of putting a look together that the client cannot possibly own. If you can't OWN a look (as in ROCK the heck out of it) then unfortunately you haven't done a good job.

Is having a passion for fashion enough to be a good stylist or personal shopper? Unfortunately not. Don't get me wrong, you do need to have some kind of fashion sense in order to pull looks together (this is something you either have or don't have to be honest), but there is more to it than that. So here are a few other things you need to possess.

1.You need to have amazing listening skills. Be able to listen and even read in between the lines to hear what isn't said. Why? Well if you can't hear what is being said to you, how will you know what your client wants when you're out and about shopping or pulling for them?

2. Do your research. You have to stay on top of the trends so you know whats going on within the fashion industry. Of course we set the trends ourselves. But a good stylist has pretty much everything in their closet anyway since almost everything comes back around. So knowing what is in season will help you educate your client and if you're really good, have them AHEAD of the trends.

3. You need to have a very thick skin. Why? You're going to get a lot of no's, especially in the beginning. You cant let it get to you or take it personal. But you MUST learn from it. Or else you will start to annoy your client and we can't have that!!!

4. You also need to be trustworthy. The amount of money that you're going to get thrown your way can be a bit daunting and for some even tempting. But if you have gained your client's trust, they will realize that even without seeing you, you've got their back. Never substitute fakes for authentic pieces. Never cut corners, because trust once lost...is LOST!!! I am sure everyone remembers Rick Ross' Louis Vuitton Evidence fiasco...that shouldn't happen to ANYONE with access to a stylist!! If you're looking for anything for a client, even if its from seasons ago, your best bet is to cultivate those relationships. They will help you IMMENSELY!!!

5. Remember its always about the client, you have to be totally unselfish with yourself and your services. Their needs come FIRST!! I can't tell you how many times people have bought items off of my back. I mean there are certain things I WON'T do (especially if its illegal!!) but I am not attached to anything. Its fashion and its business. Making the client happy is my FIRST priority. However there is also a balance between making the client happy and being a pushover. One has to strike a balance...

6. Be discreet. Confidentiality goes hand in hand with trust. I have worked for some people that I will never be able to mention. Sad, but true. I got paid...but there will be no shouting from the rooftops about how much money so and so spent. That's no one's business. You were hired to do a job, some may not care, but a number of them would rather keep such knowledge between the people involved. Respect that and know that the people that know, know. In this day and age where everything is on a blog somewhere or on twitter or Facebook, people value their privacy now more than ever. Yes, you may want the world to know what you did...but if its it at the expense of losing or offending a client, its NOT worth it. Understand that with time and solid work comes recognition. People will refer you and like it or not, that is the BEST kind of advertisement.

These are a few of the things I know I incorporate into everything I do and they have helped me IMMENSELY!! Of course there is a whole lot more to this, but then I can't tell you everything, can I :-)

Happy Mothers day USA!!!

Questions and answers...

2011-02-28T23:33:00.003-05:00

Over the next few weeks, I am going to be taking the time out to blog about a few recurring questions which I get asked A LOT! Mainly regarding fashion, but also about everything in between. So feel free to add your questions to the already long list , via email (check the profile folks) or simple ask here; I am sure I will get around to it...eventually :-)

Stay tuned folks!!!

:-)

The various interests of young Master Charles Fagbohun...

2011-02-22T23:30:00.009-05:00

Sometimes when I think about the kids of today and how they are growing up, I can't help but be astounded. I mean life for us while growing up was so simple. You went to school, you played with your friends and family...had a few simple hobbies...that was IT!!! Not the kids nowadays and DEFINITELY not my son.

It's both exhilarating and scary at the same time, to think of all the things that our children are exposed to and how that shapes them. Charles has been around fashion since he was born, (kinda comes with the turf when your mother is a personal shopper and stylist) But recently, he started showing an even greater interest - wanting to become an active participant and officially declared he wanted to model (GULP!!). He has gone through so many " I want to be" phases, I honestly didn't take him seriously. He wanted to be an astronaut, race car driver, judge, policeman, teacher, pilot ; the list goes on and on. Courtesy of the Beijing Olympics, he decided that he wanted to definitely become the guy to beat Michael Phelps (I was like ummmm ok!!!) and promptly started swimming classes. He is actually pretty good too. Unfortunately, I think that by the time he gets up to the professional level, Michael Phelps might be too old to beat anybody - LOL!!! Needless to say, I am encouraging the swimming. He recently added soccer to that (sigh) and he needs to pick up an instrument and another language...see what I mean about a busy child??? I didn't have HALF (ok maybe not even a 1/4) of this going on in my life EVER!!! However, I have heard from several friends that they did and im happy to be able to provide what I didn't have for my son. Its a really good feeling...albeit TIRING!!!

My son met and modeled for Coco and Breezy , the fabulous sunglass designers during New York Fashion Week and they made quite an impression on him. These two young ladies are so talented, its amazing. And they are just 20!!! What was I doing at 20?? LOL . They recently introduced a kids line and showcased it alongside their main collection in their 2011 presentation.Quite impressive!!! They already have quite a following... He really felt like a rockstar (another thing to add to his long list, sigh) modeling for Coco and Breezy . Did I mention that he can tell them apart where I can't (at least he thinks so) and thinks they are SOOOO Cool!! Apparently, Coco and Breezy are just as cool as his other adopted big brother Ugo Mozie (whom he LOVES)...but because they are girls (I find this HILARIOUS by the way) they aren't the top of his list...but a hard 2nd!!!

I do have a point to all my rambling. Despite it all, we really should try (hard though it may be) to encourage every little interest that our children have. Why? Well one of these many interests will become their profession someday. Ideally, if they have had enough time to play around with a few options while they are children, they are less likely t make the mistake I find that some adults are making as they grow older. Its definitely not easy...but its worth it in the long run.

So now he has caught the modeling/acting bug. And its really ALL him!!! Not a shy bone in his body!!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of Mr Charles Fagbohun doing his thing...Lord give me strength!! I feel like i'm going to definitely NEED it!!!

***Pictures courtesy Kibwe M, Cali York ,Coco and Breezy and Remi Fagbohun

Shoes and me...

2011-02-01T00:45:00.001-05:00

Inspiration sometimes comes from the strangest places. My son asked me a simple question today. He said "Mom , why do you love shoes so much?" Lord, where did THAT come from? At first I smiled and asked why he was asking (did his Dad put him up to this??) He simply said , he sees how many shoes I have and how I seem to keep buying more (ouch)!!!

Of course I sat down and explained to him the differences between the various shoes and why his mommy needed so many. But afterwards, I started to think myself , where did this love stem from??

Then it hit me...my MOTHER!!! (May her soul rest in peace)

My earliest memory of shoes honestly came from her. My mother was just shy of 5 feet and my dad is a 6 footer. She was CONSTANTLY in heels. My mothers heels were so high, I actually thought she was closer to my dad's height (NOT). Growing up, she always seemed much, much taller (don't all of our parents?) than she really was. It didn't occur to me until much later that it was the shoes. Now my mother had TONS of shoes. I remember her having so many lovely shoes, all brightly colored too. I remember reds, purples, blues...sigh and she had tiny feet too (where are those shoes anyway???). My sister and I would often take them out and just look at them. They were sooooo pretty. There was a pair of red and white peep-toe pumps that were my favorite to play dress up in. They must have been at least 4-5 inch heels red with white stripes and a lovely bow on the top too. Super cute!!!! As much as I believe in mixing high and low, I DON'T do that with my shoes. My personal pet peeve is poorly made shoes and if I can see the glue on the shoe or the shoe can't stand on its own...thats a classic FAIL for me!!! To me, a sexy shoe is a very well made shoe. It just does something to me...

Ok, let me stop drooling.

Funny thing here is that if not for my son, this isn't really something I have ever fully thought about. I mean we often love what we love, but have you ever bothered to think of why you love what you love? There is always a story behind it. As a stylist, shoes are the one thing I refuse to skimp on, and I do not believe you can ever have too many . And that goes for both men and women. A pair of shoes can make or break an outfit. Wrong shoes on a killer suit? FAIL!!! Sexy dress and scuffed shoes? GAG!!!!

My mother loved her jewelry and her shoes. Guess that means I am definitely my mothers daughter, because I love those two things as well (shoes more than jewelry though). I firmly believe that the right shoes will change how you carry yourself and also how you see yourself. Sexiness and self confidence all come from within. Think about what makes you the most confident...whatever it is, own it and hone it. The results will shock you.

For me...it's the SHOES!!! I guess I should also prepare myself for my son's future love affair with shoes. We'll be saying in a few years that he gets it from his parents. Oh yeah, did I mention my husband is worse than me? LOL!!!!

Happy New month everyone!!!

Snow day #3 2011

2011-01-13T00:24:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone...

It's been a snow filled year so far! Today was the very first official snow day of 2011 (though not the first snow storm) and I have to say we pretty much wasted it. We didn't get 22 inches as planned, we got a little more than 10.

I had such HUGE plans for today too. With both my son and husband at home today, I had so much on my mind to do...one of the main ones was to update my blog. Um mm well that kinda happened, didn't it?? LOL

I am officially dedicating these few lines to Funke Adeyemi. You made me get off my butt and start writing again (yeah, its not my usual, but a BLURB IS WAAAAY BETTER THAN NOTHING)!! Thanks for the inspiration love.

Stay tuned folks!! I'm back writing with a Vengenance!!!

Final Day - Mercedes Benz Fashion Week S/S 2011

2010-09-16T23:01:00.009-04:00

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York is finally over and as they say, all good things must come to an end!

I truly loved sharing my Fashion Week experience this year with my son. He recently decided he wants to model, I felt this would be the perfect way to see whether he truly would like the idea or not. Also seeing things through his eyes was kinda fun. Not only did he enjoy it. But he also started a crazy love affair with the barbecue flavor popchips. Between that and the Starbucks silly bands, he was in 7th heaven!!!

I met so many interesting people this week and attended some pretty awesome shows. Thank God for stylepantry! Because without it, i doubt any of my views would get heard. Kudos to Mrs Huntoon for being waaaay better at blogging than me :-)

I guess we should also use this opportunity to talk about of the sponsors at Fashion Week who made the time in between shows go by ever so quickly with both the snacks and the drinks. Off the top of my head I Fiji water, Popchips, Kim Crawford wines, Starbucks , Essie (got a manicure to try out the new color too) thank you!!!

And to everyone wanting a more indepth look at my experience at Fashion Week, please go to stylepantry.com!!!

Enjoy the pictures!!

Better ones are on Style Pantry!!!

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week NY 2011 - Day 1

2010-09-09T22:48:00.008-04:00

This year, since I know my own flaws better than anyone else, I am partnering up with my darling at Style Pantry for a more up-to date commentary of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York 2011. So please check out stylepantry dot com for detailed info and my views on the different shows, especially the ones I am attending. While her site focuses on the fashion part, with our thoughts...this is still going to be just all the other STUFF - LOL!!!
Its going to be tons of fun! So comment away folks!!!

My first foray into Lincoln Center for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was great. Well, except for the usual credential pick-up, which was as long as it usually is :-). Frankly its to be expected considering the number of people who are trying to attend these events. Anyway after a 40 minute wait, I got my passes... had to skip viewing my surroundings as my son decides he is hungry and Christian Siriano show goes out the window...sigh. I heard it was really good too! We'll return in a few hours :-)

Anyway, Number : Lab was my first stop. Never heard of them? Well they are a menswear designer well known for advanced sportswear. Think of your windbreaker with extra features, or the swimming trunks with just that little bit of oomp to it :-)!! Anyway, they had their presentation at 640 W28th street. I saw a very slim and trim Perez Hilton in a hot studded jacket! Go Mr Hilton!!! The show started with a bicycle polo demonstration which was kinda different. Defintiely some great pieces for the sports enthusiast, but my stand out piece was the lightweight suit shown...oh well , ok and mr abs in the fierce swimming trunks.

Our next stop was to the Farah Angsana Spring 2011 show at the Studio - Lincoln Center. Love love, love the new venue (see my comments on the tents again at stylepantry dot com) A lot of gorgeous pieces. I was very very impressed!!! Lots of embellishments, which I loved.
But my standout favorites were the green draped silk chiffon, swarovski crystal and gold embroidered long sleeve Kebaya mini dress...it just needed to be a tad bit longer! Fabulous pictures are on the other site.

Here is Jumoke Gbadebo and my son! Both Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Newbies!! Juggling mommyhood and work as always!!

Gotta run...there's always tomorrow!!!

R

Updates...via pictures!!!

2010-07-15T15:58:00.031-04:00

Trying to keep up with my blog is one never ending story. I apologize yet again!! I honestly commend the bloggers who hit their blogs DAILY and for some multiple times a day. You have my eternal respect!!!!

A few months ago, I was in Nigeria for Hip Hop World Awards in Lagos. It's always great attending these events, Ayo Animashaun is both a client and a friend who has chewed my ear off for not attending every year as a good friend should. But fortunately , even though my husband couldn't make it, I was able to and I also presented an award. Despite a few minor glitches, it was a good event.

Since a lot of people in the US are often rather curious about the fashion scene in Nigeria, here is a glimpse in pictures. I think there is a little bit for everyone :-)

Curious about what i'm talking about? Fashion of course :-)

Enjoy!!!

**all pictures courtesy of the super talented Nnamdi Patrick

Dakore

Remi Fagbohun and Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi

Remi Fagbohun and Tee-A the comedian

Remi Fagbohun and Nollywood actress Funke Akindele

Mai Atafo

Funmi Iyanda

Kemi Adetiba

Tosyn Bucknor

Remi Fagbohun and Dayo of Hip TV

Ty Bello

Remi Fagbohun and Bobby Taylor

My Mother's day 2010

2010-05-09T22:26:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's day everyone!!!

Mother's day always makes me think more about my mother. I do miss her, may her soul rest in peace. She passed away years ago, and no matter how old I get, I still need/miss/cherish her...but she is gone. As much as I try not to dwell on it too much, i most definitely thought of her more today, than usual.

I miss you mom!!

Moving on...

My darling 7 year old son and I have a little mother son thing we do on Mothers day. He knows how much I love my coffee (self proclaimed caffeine addict) and 2 years ago, he decided that since I always have starbucks in the mornings, e was going to start paying for my drink on Mothers day :-)

Well today was no different. He woke up , gave me a lovely handmade bookmark ( he also knows I love to read too) and off to Starbucks we went! I order my venti , 9 pump, no foam vanilla latte, extra hot banana nut loaf and he orders a blueberry scone. Bill comes to $8.61 or something. He very proudly pays the bill with some of the money from his piggy bank. It was the cutest thing EVER!! This year, maybe because he is getting older and is feeling so proud of the fact that he did something MAJOR! He says to me " Mom, now you can say that daddy and I got you flowers, but I got you your favorite drink...STARBUCKS!!"

Toooooooo cute!!

Got back home, cooked his favorite soup - which is Egusi...and had a luxurious day with my boys and a few friends.

That was my day!

Hope all the mothers out there enjoyed theirs!!

xoxo!!!

Change...

2009-11-19T08:11:00.004-05:00

Change is something that people sometimes HATE! I on the other hand feel that change is something to look forward to...

Everything happens at a time for a reason! You might not understand why it's happening, when its happening, but when it's all over and done with, you can look back and say it was worth it!!!

There are changes happening in my life and in the lives of some people around me. And I am happy for each and every one of you! How do you feel about change? Good, Bad or don't really care?

The best is yet to come!!!

Happy Birthday LJ!!

The Juggle called Fashion Week!!

2009-09-08T17:05:00.004-04:00

Starting....

Blogging...

Hoping to juggle better...

Who am I kidding really??

Fashion Week YAY!!!!
Stay tuned folks!!!

xoxoxo

Appreciate people NOW!

2009-06-30T17:00:00.009-04:00

Let's not wait until people die to appreciate them!

With all of the recent deaths, people have come forward with the things that the recently departed have done for them...most people have never said half of that to them when they were alive, as they should have. Sad but true.

Love the people for who and what they are, EVERY single person in your life is there for a reason.

To everyone I have met/worked with/talked to/loved ...thank you for being there, because without each and every one of you, I doubt I would be the person I am today. Thank you!!!

Rest In Peace Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays and Mr. Love Omotola Hollist you're all in a better place now...

The rain!!!

2009-06-18T16:13:00.003-04:00

In New York and New Jersey we have had a whole lot of RAIN!!! Sigh...It puts a big damper on EVERYTHING!!

You don't want to do anything...

You don't want to go anywhere...

Just Sleep(sex)and more Sleep...

But on a happier note, I put these few lines together and actually BLOGGED - LOL!!! I guess the rain is good for one thing - it's helping me do all the indoor stuff I need to do :-)

Stay dry everyone!!!

Friends and what they mean to you...

2009-03-04T19:48:00.007-05:00

I met someone yesterday at Bergdorf Goodman. Her name was Lisa. She wanted to know if I had a lot of friends. I had to laugh...my answer? Urgh, yes I have LOADS!!! She mentioned that her circle of friends was very small and sometimes non-existent. That really made me think of my friends.

I have my very best friend - my husband. That's the one person I MUST speak to on a daily basis. OK that was an understatement, make that a few times during the day. My son is another one of my dearest friends. Well maybe he doesn't get the SAME heart to heart discussions that I have with his Daddy, but his conversations are pretty deep for a 6 yr old!!!

My family doesn't fall into the friend category , but they would chew my ear off if I didn't mention them :-)as they are really close to my heart!!!

I have my friends who have known me from high school and that I have kept in touch with.

I have my college friends that watched me and were part of my growth into this outspoken, extroverted, supremely stubborn individual you see today.

I have my friends who became friends through work. This is both within fashion and before fashion.

I have the people I have met through other friends that have grown on me and have become friends too.

Let's not forget the Facebook friends and the twitter ones. Weirdly enough, with as many people as I have in my life, I still seem to find space for more. ODD!!!

All in all, my friends mean the world to me. Each and every one of them. I don't need to speak to you on a daily basis; I don't have any doubts of what they mean to me (or vice versa); I know that should I need anything they are there for me and I am there for them. We give each other advice and I mean the no bones version - REMI style; knowing that I wish for you what I wish for myself ; knowing tough love is required sometimes and not everyone can take that(but my true friends CAN). I love the fact that each one has a purpose too, from keeping me grounded to making me feel loved to giving me the hard-assed facts knowing that I can take it. Friends are meant to be that way.

However just as we have the good ones, there are some that aren't. I tend not to dwell on them too much. We can't get along with everyone...I think that would be just tooo perfect!

So on that note, my friends know who they are. Thanks for putting up with me. I love you all and you all KNOW it!!! My friends mean the world to me. What do yours mean to you?

And before you ask, some of them HATE fashion - LOL!! It really doesn't matter! Accepting your friends, differences and all is a true sign of friendship!

Hey Lisa...welcome to my circle of friends :-)

I think she will fit right in!!!!

The Gucci High Heel Iman - my latest obsession...

2009-03-03T19:44:00.004-05:00

OK - I might be onto something here.

I can't believe I am posting AGAIN so quickly. Maybe I should start a count and see how many consecutive days I can blog for. I might even surprise myself. Maybe March may just be my month to change...hm mm!!

I just found out that the new Gucci Iman High Heels are now in stock...OMG!!!

Let's first discuss my love affair with shoes, shall we? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (OK I trust we all get the picture by now) my shoes. Er...well bags too :-). It's just one of those things that get me feeling all gooey inside. If you're a big foot girl like I am, then you KNOW that the shoe size means NOTHING, its all in the fit. An 11 in one style, might not even fit your foot in another. So here I am using myself as the happy little guinea pig :-), whatever it takes to make the client happy right? Gucci however, tends to work for me at least 85% of the time...those are pretty good odds if you ask me.

Anyway, my darling friend Alee calls me up from Gucci to tell me that the sandals I have been drooling about have arrived...my husband looks at me like I am insane as he hears that I am going to check them out in this weather. What can I say? I LOVE my job!! Its research :-) Now only a handful have arrived at this point and my true size isn't one of them, but at least the 10 and half I could actually walk in...so there is hope for me yet!!! They are GORGEOUS!!! Of course they must be at least 5 and half inches high - PERFECT!! I certainly do not need another pair of black shoes at this point, but if that's all I can get, I will take em!!! I fell in love all over again, the height, the gladiator straps covering the ankle...am I gushing? Sigh...I guess so!!!

All in all the 40 and half just won't work, the half an inch would do my poor feet a world of good. For a 41, I will break the bank ...and it's truly breaking the bank at a resounding $1275 during a recession? Why must I be such a shoe fiend??

God Help me!!!!

Aleeeeeeeeee hold the 11's when they arrive in gunmetal, red or was it purple? Sigh...OK BLACK!!!!

To Auntie Funmie and my Lost Gucci Bag!

2009-03-02T13:56:00.007-05:00

I got an email this morning from one of my favorite Aunts in London. Auntie Funmie wanted to know why I hadn't blogged in awhile. Her exact words were "I check everyday and nothing" as she is used to seeing a blog from me at least once a month (ouch). Where some people blog more consistently (like Folake Huntoon :) ) me, I can barely pull the monthly blurb off - LOL! Sad , I know... Folake, someone needs LESSONS!!!

So, I decided to devote this one to her:)

Updates ....

December was the craziest time for me with Christmas shopping for clients, gift fulfilling and the birth of my new nephew, I had my hands FULL!!

Come January, I was trying to catch up and trying to set myself up for the year. Sounds easy...sooooo NOT!!! My husband was out of town for about 3 weeks which meant, I was juggling ALL by myself. And I was sooooooo looking forward to FASHION WEEK. Thinking back I can only groan!!!

This was supposed to be a super exciting week for me. One of my celebrity clients was coming to town, had two photo shoots lined up...all exciting stuff right??

WRONG!!!!

First my client canceled , no brainer there... The client is always right. And there was always a fifty-fifty chance that he may or may not show up. So, I just took that in stride and looked forward to the rest of the week.

Well bad stroke number 2...

As I am leaving the tents after the Domenico Vacca Show I realize I was missing one of my three bags - the most important one, my hand bag!! Now if you know me, you know my bags are always big and have everything PLUS the kitchen sink in it! This day was no different! I was literally in tears!! If at any point in time you saw me during fashion week at the tents and I wasn't my usual bubbly self, now you know why! I was DEVASTATED!!! 2 shows and that was it! Every time I went back to the tents after that it was to check if anything turned up or to the command center to find out if anything turned up on the cameras...I think I probably attended one more show on the last day, but my heart was no longer in it.

Sigh!!!

Through it all , I learned that New York's finest are actually the best people to turn to when you have problems. The policemen were truly the best. As I was crying my eyes out and feeling the worst...they totally pulled it together. Between the police , my hubby , Ava and Rain...phew, they pulled ME together.

Rain darling, I owe you a total apology for turning your trip down here into a police station hangout session...I missed not getting my hair done and all the shows and parties. I am truly sorry!! But I love you so much for being the shoulder I cried on through it all. I will NEVER forget that. With me its the little things.

As they say , what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. For the people that know the details, you know it was more than just a bag. But I can't really talk too much about it because the investigation is still underway.

So...

Since I know I am not the only one who has lost a bag before. Tell me your story. What did you lose? Trust me, no one's could be as bad as mine.

Thanks to everyone that helped and especially to my hubby for understanding.
Detective Ann Guerin...THANKS!!!!

November and my birthday...

2008-12-11T13:17:00.009-05:00

There are often some serious decisions that need to be made and emotions sometimes hold us back from making the right decisions. This last trip to Nigeria was one of such times. My calendar is often FULL of a few things going on at any given time from work (its fashion and entertainment so that means events) to personal and family events(my birthday, my son's birthday, charity events and school events)Its a constant juggle. Why? Well, you never want to let anyone down. I love being a mother,wife and fashionista...but sometimes I have to make decisions that I HATE!!

There were a couple of meetings that I KNEW had to happen before the end of the year. Traveling to Nigeria for Christmas wouldn't work because of our son's school calendar and our holiday obligations, so that meant I needed to go BEFORE the holidays. Here's the problem...we were already in October, my son's birthday was coming up, as well as mine and I was also cooking for thanksgiving and I usually take him to all of the parade's and trick or treating - HELP!!!

Now I have to talk about my husband for a second. He is absolutely AMAZING!! He is my best friend, my business partner, my fashion sounding board...and my biggest supporter!! He encouraged me to go and soothed my fears (yes I have them too) told me there would plenty of birthdays to come... I love my Husband. He makes me feel very fortunate to have him!!!

With that in mind, I booked the trip!

A lot of my work is done well in advance and its simply about finalizing things which is always a good thing.

Anyway...I have to say my thank you's to my friends in Nigeria who always make me feel welcome...Tola, Titi, Bukky, Ebi, Niyi, Bodunrin, Morin and Dolapo. We have been through so much together I am so happy to have had you as friends for the past 10+ years!!!

To my new friends...Nobs, Jibbs, Dayo and the rest who know exactly who they are - thank you for even understanding me and caring enough to know about me and attend my birthday dinner...it really made me smile - THANKS!!!

Enjoy the pictures.

All at my birthday dinner.Thanks to my darling Tola for organizing this for me. Love you LOADS!! Thanks to everyone who attended too :-)

A day in my life, the Nigerian version filmed for Nigeria International while on this trip. Here we are in Emmy Collin's Store looking through some of his new gear.

Joy and I...We have our work cut out for us come 2009 darling...I cant wait!!!

Mr Taj Adepetu and I...Its a good thing I have a thick skin. this meeting was long overdue! Thanks!!

Chenna and I...I'm sad we didn't meet sooner. I enjoyed meeting you and can't wait till you get here next week!!!

D-1 and I , Thanks Dayo for taking the time to meet with me...I learned A LOT!!

Tammz and I after the M.I album release party

Tola, Dolapo, Me and Titi - No. 10 V.I, Lagos

All of us at Bodunrin and Lola's wedding...

What does "married " look like?

2008-11-09T19:06:00.003-05:00

I have been in Nigeria for almost 2 weeks now and I can't wait to get home!!!

I hate apologizing for lapses, so I won’t. But please know, that I know I should have …but been rather busy to do it.

I am up ridiculously late because I am finishing up a proposal…but I took a break to reminisce on my day. Had an impromptu show on Channels TV to attend (thanks to Mr. Debola Williams for thinking of me) and later went to a friend of a friend’s birthday party at a private residence. The celebrant walked over to me and we started talking. As is usual for me, I steer the conversation towards my family and what I do (I never want people to get the wrong impression)…his first comment is you don’t look married! I get this comment a lot and its part of why I am blogging this late at night.

What does “married” look like??

Since I deal with image, I cannot act like I don’t know what people mean when they say this. I have been very quick to point out that the women of today are not like the women of old. But as a wife myself I know it isn’t easy to look great all the time and be a wife, mother, daughter and business owner or worker. It’s much easier to do when you’re single because your focus is only on yourself. Once you get married, it’s so easy to fall into the ”why bother” phase. I mean you’re already married right? No point to get all dolled up for the man, right? WRONG!!!! If anything, this is the time when it’s even more crucial to keep your body looking right and stay on top of yourself as well as your family. Is it easy? HELL no! It’s actually easier to let it all go!! I have never liked the easy way out so I would rather keep myself looking the best I can, while I am still able to do so…I am known to be very STUBBORN!

Now men, this isn’t just for the ladies though. A lot of men that used to work out don’t anymore…and a lot of flat tummies of old which have disappeared are often blamed on the cooking of the good wife. Mind you, if you don’t cook, you’re an awful wife! Sharp dressing…out the window. Marriage is tough enough on its own without adding the additional changes that come due to lack of foresight or certain nonchalance to staying attractive for your spouse. So newlyweds don’t say you weren’t told…and for others who are in this rut and are trying to get out of it…CALL ME!! We can schedule a consultation!

Have a great week everyone!

Accessories...

2008-10-19T03:34:00.006-04:00

Accessories…

Getting dressed is something we all do, that is unless you live in a nudist colony. But despite the fact that we all do it, HOW we do it varies. I have always been a huge fan of accessories (handbags, belts, sunglasses, necklaces, cocktail rings, earrings, cuffs, bangles..I have an endless list!) and they are an important part of my wardrobe.

So, why accessorize? Well, the obvious answer would be because you want to stand out, which is absolutely RIGHT!! My motto is Image is Everything and as such I want to make sure I always make the right impression. I don't wear an outfit without fully accessorizing the entire look. There is a big difference between wearing a simple black dress without accessories (you might look like you’re in mourning or attending a funeral) and wearing the same black dress with an AMAZING belt, a brooch (I am currently in LOVE with them) and a pair of killer pumps…sigh, I could go on and on with so many different variations!! It also makes your closet seem bigger than it really is. How? Well imagine wearing this same black dress with a chunky gold statement necklace, gold studs (never pair statement necklaces with elaborate earrings, doing that = OVERKILL!!!), bare legs with a lovely pair of hot colored pumps (I love purple right now, it could change in a month, lol) this is one look. Look 2 – same black dress, this time with a big colored belt, elaborate silver earrings (lacking in elaborate? Try big hoops), a brooch and boots…I could go on and on. But the point is your options are limitless as long as you have enough accessories to play around with.

Should I talk about shoes? Nah…that would be a really LONG post – LOL!!!

Anyway before I go totally off topic (I do have that bad habit at times) let me give the men out there a quick tip too. Guys, invest in some unique cuff links, funky bow ties/ties (you need a LOT of colorful ties to stand out) tie pins/clips (two different things that do the same job but achieve different looks), pocket squares, socks, an assortment of belts (don’t say one in black and one in brown is enough, or that you can wear the same belt for denim on slacks. The more effort you put into it, the better you will look. And women love to see a man who is put together …it leaves an impression.

What are your favorite accessories and why?

Image is Everything!!

2008-10-14T10:50:00.006-04:00

Tony Hsieh and Aaron Magness of Zappos.

One of the major disadvantages of long weekends...SLOW STARTS!! I feel like it takes longer to get my act together!

Now besides working on international shopping and shipping for my clients (and the rest of the world) outside of the USA, I have also been busy working on updating my own company image, sigh like I am not busy enough!!

I feel that in order to grow, you must be able to learn from your mistakes - right? So as I am revamping everything, I had to think of every single complaint or comment I had received in the past 3 years. Now its not like take every single comment to heart...but I do try and weigh comments against what I want and if they make any kind of sense - that's the only way NOT to become narrow-minded.

Now when I chose my plastic cards, I knew I wanted them to stand out. Are they unique? Totally and they said exactly what I wanted them to say...Style. I wanted something that showed it without opening my mouth and it definitely achieved that. But what it didn't do was tell people how I could help them(list of services) and some people even after looking at my card, still asked for my email address. Funny right? Not to me...all of that is going to change.

How often do you change your image?? I think that both professionally and personally, its very necessary. My image and wardrobe has changed dramatically in less than a year. Why? As an employee , I dressed down to work to make sure that I was appropriate to where I was in the corporate world. How would you feel if your assistant dressed better than you?? I got fired once for this and obviously learned a valuable lesson from it. So in this case...I kept the fabulousity for after hours.

Now that I am running my own ship - I can truly be me. And trust me, I dress accordingly and so should you!!!

Have a fabulous day everyone and stay tuned to the unveiling of the new improved Versatile Shopper.

xoxo
Image is everything

P.S I am working on a few things with zappos. That's also why the website has to change. Above is a picture with me and the zappos men. Thanks Tony and Aaron for squeezing me into your busy schedule.
Go Zappos!!!

Question: Online shopping worldwide...

2008-09-26T19:45:00.005-04:00

There is so much going on in the world today and boundaries are shifting. Online shopping is alive and well over here in the USA, but it isn't quite as accessible in other parts of the world. Anyone who knows me, knows I started to think!!!

As an image consultant , stylist and personal shopper based over here in the US. I get a lot of questions from people in Africa and in Europe about how they can get access to items we have over here. The obvious problem is no one wants to ship internationally, in other cases, its simply not knowing who to trust or how to even factor that into your current business.

I personally feel that it is very possible to get everything we get in the US to clients worldwide. Shipping outside of the United States is something I am tackling head on for a number of people and its working.

So my question here is this...if you could shop freely on a great website such as Zappos.com and get guarantees from ME that it would be delivered to you in about a timely fashion, how valuable would you find such an idea?? Shipping and clearing would be paid by you the customer (the company I use handles that too and its reasonable) But you would be guaranteed the same phenomenal customer service that companies such as Zappos offers over here...

Would it be worth it for you??

Please comment and feel free to share. This is possibly a great way to get more products into Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Thanks in advance everyone I really need comments. Even if you disagree...comment anyway.

Have a fabulous weekend all!!!

The 60th Annual Emmy Awards....

2008-09-22T14:21:00.010-04:00

Phew...

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

The Emmy Awards were yesterday and to be honest it is one of the most BORING of the award shows and I honestly never watch it for anything other than the fashion. Since I didn't style anyone this time around, it means I simply get to watch what everyone else has done - also a lot of FUN! Unfortunately because I had to take my son out , I wasn't able to catch the Red Carpet Arrivals, so I watched with the TV muted while I did some ironing before heading over to my friend's place.

I of course, have my personal views on the fashion choices made by others (not surprising). But I honestly never fully agree with the Worst dressed list. Pushing the envelope should never be viewed as a fashion no no.

I personally liked Eva Longoria's dress. One has to remember that they have a TON of these events to attend and of course you don't want to look the same each and every time. I also have a thing for Bows...

Glenn Close's black dress to me was very age appropriate! I understand that some people cannot stand the shawl, but please compare it to Mary Tyler Moore who wore a black dress as well but with no shawl, we could see exactly how her face and her arms totally DO NOT match!! After a certain age, those arms HAVE to be covered up. So in my opinion the shawl NEEDED to be there!!!

Cynthia Nixon's total lack of bling to me is simply her being simple. One doesn't always have to have bling to complete a look. She had something on her wrists. That is what she was aiming for...If I were to change anything, I would make the color of her dress a little brighter...just saying.

Brooke Shield's fuschia Badgley Mischka I hated!! Don't ask, something about it rubbed me the wrong way...and this was on the BEST DRESSED list!!

Vanessa Williams DID look stunning in her Kevan Hall dress...our skin always looks very good in neutral tones, the print also made it stand out.

However , for some reason, I feel like I have seen America Ferrara in several black dresses of late, so I was a bit bored by it! I love her as an actress, but unlike her character on Ugly Betty, I don't think she does anything edgy on the red carpet...but then again, that might just be the look she was going for!

I don't think Felicity Hoffman's dress did anything for her frame. She has an amazing body, but I felt this outfit made us focus so much on her shoulders and thats not necessarily a good thing...

Blah on Marcia Cross' dress -oh so bland!!! And the GORGEOUS number on Nicolette Sheridan. That color was DIVINE on her...

Julia Louis-Dreyfus looked and walked away a winner! The Narciso Rodriguez creation was divine!!! We all know I am a bit(ok, maybe very) partial to color.

This is obviously not a full list. I have to leave some for the rest of you to comment about - LOL! Were you watching the awards? Which ones did you love or hate. Remember we all have opinions and I would love to hear some of them!!!

Have a great day all...

P.S Congrats to Jeremy Piven on his win yesterday! He cracks me up on Entourage!!

***all pictures courtesy Wireimage.

Random musings...Celebs and friends

2008-09-21T18:37:00.006-04:00

Its Sunday evening, 6:38pm. I have just finished running through several blogs. Some of my favorites, some new ones and also thinking about my own. Its one thing to commit to blogging and another to actually do it! Fortunately, I can definitely see an improvement myself. Thank Goodness for the Blackberry!!! My one true addiction!!

Do I love to write? heck yeah (I was an English honors student-that should tell you something)... just as much as love to talk, LOL!! I always have an opinion about numerous things, but sometimes the bone of contention is figuring out which one to yap about. Would love to talk about work...but unfortunately that would be telling and I really do have to put my clients FIRST. And I doubt I would have any clients at all if I put them on full blast now would I?? So that's out of the question - LOL!! I guess I could also talk about my views on life in general...but my thoughts are sometimes sooo far left field it's not even funny! SO sometimes its a bit of a pickle isn't it??

As open as I am about my own life. I find that privacy is CRUCIAL for others. I am privy to so much information it is INSANE. I am also fiercely protective. I guess its the mother hen in me. But I am not even tempted to say anything or even give an opinion about certain things because I never believe its my place to talk about anything other than myself and my direct family. Does that make sense? I hope so...

Recently an old friend that I had just reconnected with(courtesy of Facebook), wanted to know something about one of my clients. She is a football FANATIC and so once she found out that I was his stylist she HAD to ask. This is not the first time this has happened to me, and since I am not a child, I obviously knew how to handle her. What was amusing(and bit surprising) was her response and how rude she became when she realized I wasn't going to tell her anything. I guess we now know why we lost contact in the first place...Sigh!!!

I have never believed like the rest of the world that Celebs aren't entitled to their privacy. If anything I feel very sorry for them most times. Who wants to see every pound gained /lost monitored and splashed across every paper/mag?? Every time you have a bad hair day/bad fashion day (not courtesy of me!)/bad fight...I mean you name it...they have had it, splashed as a headline everywhere!! Can you imagine every person you have ever dated being put under a microscope?? Whew...considering we have to kiss a lot of frogs to find that Prince charming. I guess we should count ourselves lucky that we were able to do it in peace.

Have a fabulous week and remember Image is everything!!!

xoxo

Sexiness and you...

2008-09-17T20:45:00.005-04:00

Someone asked me a really interesting question the other today.What do you find sexy? I wanted to know why she asked (very weird question).She explained that she had just met a guy and asked me what I thought about him, because even though he was cute, she didn't find him sexy at all.

That made me think... I couldn't really give her an answer. Why? Sexiness for me is a lot of different things combined and its not purely just looks. I have dated guys that according to my husband, he didn't quite get what I saw in them!(I say the same about some of his ex's so we are pretty even on that one-LOL) But I always had an answer...it was just something about them!

So...that prompted me to ask people around me and obviously fellow bloggers.

What do you find sexy?

I find my husband's smile sexy (its also what attracted me to him at the airport in the first place), his confidence and his honesty...the day he picked me up and carried me across a huge puddle of water in Nigeria has got to be the sexiest moment of all time in our marriage (and trust me we had our moments)!! I am huge believer of what lies within and the fact that he KNOWS me (a little too well) and knows that those Gucci shoes mean so much to me and that if they got wet/trashed I would be SOOOO upset; all this without me saying a word!! That night...I paid up the way a good wife is supposed to!!

On a totally weird note, I find heels SUPER sexy!!!
I find fashion done correctly sexy...either on men or women!
Swagger...SUPER sexy!
The same goes for good manners and chivalry!

I unfortunately don't find Denzel Washington, LL Cool J, Vin Diesel, David Beckham sexy! I know they have great bodies and I can totally see why people want to take off their underwear for them - LOL. But I don't view them as sex objects, if I got to know them...then maybe. I can hear women screaming across the world - LOL. Let me explain fully!! For me it's much more than skin deep. I am not the kind of person who would see LL cool J (which I have) and think of what he would be like in bed or what I would do to him - HECK no!! I don't know him like that and that makes it difficult for me to even include him on a fantasy!! I am also just too much of a professional to view people that way. However, I know most women look at him lick his lips and automatically think of what those lips would do to them or vice versa! I am very weird i know...but it did make me curious enough to ask post this question to everyone else.

So...what do you find sexy? I really want to know!!

SARFM ...Pamela Stitch!

2008-09-14T12:31:00.007-04:00

Okidoke...its a two for one special, I am so trying to get better blogging, because it helps reduce the number of calls I have to make to update everyone.

So a few weeks ago my PR consultant extraordinaire Bobby Taylor sends me a serious email..."I HAVE GOOD NEWS"!! I am wondering to myself, what's up?

She says "I got you on to a New york radio station" I could feel her excitement coming through the phone!! I always smile at how excited and passionate BT (when I am not calling her boobs, I call her BT) gets at her job. It's also why she is so good at what she does...her passion. I honestly think that's why we have been able to go past our "growing pains" and develop such a wonderful relationship. We are both extremely passionate about what we do.

Anyway, I'm running through all the options in my head...was it Hot 97 or The Wendy Williams show or Power 105.1 (remember I live in the nyc/tristate area and these are the top stations)?? WHAT ?WHO? WHERE?? LOL!! She then says its SARFM - which I had never heard of. Me being me, I said yes immediately because its one more person who can take me one step closer to my goal. Of course I got back home later on and I google it...I love the internet!!! I read up about the station and realized they had been around for quite sometime - an online station. Cool. It was also geared for West Africa, which is great for me...I am always up for explaining what I do to more and more Africans worldwide.

So here comes Saturday the 13th of Sept. I wake up nice and early , telling myself that I am getting there SUPER early...well, it didn't quite happen that way. I ended up being 10mins late for a live show. URGH!!!! Pamela Stitch was extremely sweet about it all...I however felt guilty throughout!

From what I had read about Pamela, I felt we would get along FINE! However the sunglasses indoors threw me off. It always gives off an unfriendly barrier(some even call it aloof!!!) which I mentioned to her as well. But besides that, I think the interview went well. I never really worry about interviews too much. Being an extrovert helps. I am also not shy (couldn't you tell?)so there isn't really a topic that I won't discuss!!

All in all, the interview went for 2 hrs instead of 1. We talked about fashion, The Versatile Shopper (my company - shameless plug), how I started, the recent article in the paper about how I met my husband etc. I had to call my dear friend Julie to apologize as she had to watch my son for longer than expected! Fortunately, she was fine with it. Thanks Julie!!!

Thanks to BT for putting this together. Thanks to Pamela Stitch for such a lovely discussion and for being HER!!!

2 weeks in my life...

2008-09-13T22:29:00.014-04:00

New York Fashion Week Spring 2009 is finally over and I for one couldn’t be happier!! I truly love FASHION. This is all research for me, believe it or not. Knowing what is going on keeps me on top of things for my clients. I am the kind of person who would stay up all night (if possible) watching past runway shows , pondering how much fashion has/has not changed. Imagine someone like that actually having the shows in her neighborhood! I was in heaven!! I know this isn’t the first fashion show that’s been held in New York – however it’s the first one that I can honestly say I attended freely because I didn’t have as many conflicts as I used to.

My first show this season was the Edwing D’Angelo show, held at the Westin Hotel on,42 street, on the 5th of September. Should I mention it started late?? Almost all the fashion shows start late, so this wasn’t really a surprise! There are at least 2-3 per hour in these first few days, either at the tent or somewhere else in the city. Anyway, I went with my dear friend Lorraine Cruz, who is an international hairstylist and make-up artist( I need to bring her to Nigeria to teach a few people her cutting technique). I must say I LOVED it!!! Now mind you, I have never even worked with him before!! So this is totally unbiased. I haven’t pulled from him or bought anything from him ever. I was invited because we talked fashion at a Kerry Rhodes party and he asked his PR girl/assistant (I’m not quite sure what she was) to get my info. So I wasn’t even remotely familiar with his work. But I was truly a fan of the whole Aquatica themed show after he was done! There is sooooo much you can do with white. And everything coming down his runway was WHITE!!! Cat suits, lovely dresses mixed with other colors (he kept in theme though – white was dominant), lovely tuxedo pants, blouses for women, and there were the pieces with his logo embroidered tastefully on the back – LOVE!!! Pictures from his show are posted below… I didn’t say we had the best seat (hence the not so clear pictures), but at least we got a seat!!!

Lacoste and Abaete were shows I RSVP’d for but didn’t end up attending because I had a conflict (don’t you just hate that?). Lorraine went with her sister Jocelyn and had a blast! The Tracy Reese show was super nice, though I was rather upset as my name wasn’t on the list even though I SPOKE to L.H who assured me that it was. URGH!!!! Rather annoying as I would have stayed my butt at home!! Oh well…I missed the first few minutes of the show – I swear that place MUST have been a fire hazard. As it was PACKED!!!! My friend and fellow stylist KB was supposed to meet me, but he stood me up!!! He is soooo in my bad books right now! However this is me!! Talking to people has never been something I couldn’t do, its called networking!! I ended up staying an extra 2hrs.

The Bryant Park Tent ambiance is amazing - it truly is. Free giveaways at various times of the day , from blackberry phones, havainas flip flops, magazines, magazines and more magazines! Celebrity sightings, free drinks (yes, alcohol, but I stuck to coffee) and my favorite pastime …people watching!!! Sigh…it was HARD to pull away. It’s also a good place to get your creative juices flowing!! I just kept thinking of the various things I need to put together.

I was meant to go to the W magazine party on Monday, but couldn’t because I had to get ready for the photo shoot on Tuesday….WORK!!! Gotta love it!!

Best of British show…didn’t attend – Emmy wasn’t there so what was the point? However, the Custo Barcelona show was INTERESTING!! There were several members of the cast of Ugly Betty, one of the Danity Kane girls (I think it was Aubrey O’day) was also there…but I must say the show was the most disorganized thing EVER!!! The music was soooooo LOUD, I felt I needed earplugs!! Many people were promised seats and didn’t get them (we did, but barely). About the show itself, very few of the pieces would I wear together…I would HAVE to break them up…it was just waaaaay too colorful for me!! Seriously and I am not conservative at all, I actuall LOVE color!!! But I do have an issue wearing too many colors all at once. The funniest part was the paparazzi attack after the show…it was was crazy and I HATED every minute of it. We had our pictures taken several times (Lorraine more than me, thankfully) simply because of how we were dressed. We looked fabulous! Oh and Steve Zak came too and he took some pictures too. I seriously don’t know how celebrities deal with this every minute they step out of their house!! Jeeze!!! And before you ask, I wasn’t in anything scandalous… I was wearing a black strapless cat suit with my big ‘ole D&G belt which I LOVE!! The belt could walk by itself if necessary – LOL, it has a life and personality of its own!!! On our way out, we bumped into Mrs. Jada Pinkett-Smith rushing into the Zac Posen show with her entourage. She is so tiny!! Gorgeous…but tiny, in my heels I felt like a giant beside her. I could see the middle of her head and she was in her Louboutins too - that must have given her a good 5 inches!!

Since Thursday was also Lorraine’s birthday – we had plans to go to a comedy club, dinner and a club. Dangerfield’s and Cain…deadly combo! I laughed so hard I cried…the Puerto Rican guy was the funniest and I can’t even remember his name!! We were picked on all night because we were late and we were a bunch of great looking girls with a smattering of guys. But I love jokes and knew going in that we would get picked on-I truly love comedy. If you need to use me as material ,go right ahead…isn’t that why we sat in the front? Lorraine had fun and that’s truly all that matters!!

This is my week (or two) in a nutshell. Oh, I am also sporting a spanking new haircut courtesy of Lorraine Cruz of Bio Ionics. She always gives me amazing looks...this one is turning heads and I LOVE IT!! Thanks Lorraine.

Of course the juggling that I call my life continues…did I mention this was also my son’s first week of BIG school? He is super excited and we are sooooo proud of him! The fashionista, wife and mom!

***Pictures taken by Remi Fagbohun and Steve Zak.

People with us...Outside the tents...
I wonder if I could survive 20 mins without this phone? According to my darling Sunny, she thinks it stays on my boob :-)

Remi Fagbohun and Lorraine Cruz , Bryant Park Tent, having one of our interview/paparazzi moments...
Here's another...
Ambiance in the tent...can't remember which day.

Us again...too many peeps taking pictures. Eyes in different directions...I havent quite mastered this picture stuff - sigh! Lorraine on the other hand is a PRO!!
Interview...I can't remember which magazine . Definitely foreign though...

Tracy Reese Show in the Promenade - Bryant Park.Me after the Tracy Reese Show.

Remi Fagbohun & Lorraine Cruz at the Edwing D'Angelo Aquatica show.
More from Edwing D'Angelo Aquatica show
Edwing D'Angelo...

Random Musings: Heels...

2008-08-13T12:38:00.005-04:00

Since it seems very apparent that I can't seem to consistently just blog daily, why don't we just start calling my half-assed efforts - Random Musings? I know my own faults - I am the least consistent blogger out there...I don't even bother apologizing anymore (it stops being authentic after the first few times).

So today , I watched a woman cross the street in my neighborhood , wearing 5 inch heels and holding onto a toddler. It looked PAINFUL!! She wasn't very comfortable bending down to reach the baby and anything could have shifted her balance. I am a mom as well and I LOVE my heels! But I wouldn't be caught dead simply walking my son in them when he was younger. He could need any number of things and my heels would conflict with my motherly duties...So I never wore heels. I wore sneakers. Now that he is older. I happily go back to my heels (within reason) knowing that I wear them best when he isn't around, and its just either my husband and I or friends all older than 5 - LOL!!

I am sure the guys reading this are probably wondering why women wear heels in the first place.

Sigh...

Heels are soooooo sexy!!! With the right set of heels, your butt gets a nice lift, it gives you a sexy swagger, you feel like you could conquer the WORLD!! I mean I could be here for awhile (and I am running out of time).

But there is a time and a place for our lovely little obsessions... lets ponder that shall we?

Nigerian Entertainment Awards 2008

2008-06-26T01:05:00.007-04:00

Some pictures from the NEA 2008!
We came...
We saw...
Didn't conquer much (was only there to present!!!)
...went to Hiro where Biz Markie was spinning at ; a quick pit-stop at Pacha... the after-party of course (should have stayed at Hiro!!!!)

Life is good.

Thanks to my darling husband for coming and to Alee Garcia for learning about "Nigerian" time and being so understanding!!

Check out my website in the next week or so for all the pictures taken during the show!!

***All pictures taken by Alee Garcia.

A new day...

2008-05-29T22:15:00.003-04:00

Getting back from this long a trip has had its fair share of hassles. I feel like a fish out of water, trying my darnest to get it all together.

I was gone for just three weeks, came back to almost 35 messages on my voicemail. No joke!! From store associates, to work related calls, (I missed a lot since they didn't know to reach out via email, which i could have responded to) friends coming into town and wanting to catch up, sigh! Now in usual Remi-type fashion, I wrote a list (remember I said I was a little TOO organized??). Mind you, this is only PART of what needs to get done. My husband doesn't do mail, so I have all the mail for the past three weeks to go through and shred (I am sooooo going paperless after this), my son's teachers to speak to and find out how he has been, my husband to romance (its not easy now - i was away for three whole weeks!!) , emails to respond to , invoices to put together for clients and...the list goes on.

The point is that I am soooo happy to be back, but there's a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, most of this (if not all) has to be done by me. One would think that one job would give you enough time to sort out a lot...I am finding that I have even LESS time to do stuff. How did I ever manage before, doing both jobs???

There go my dreams of updating my blog daily!!! Might have to settle for a couple of times a week...

The Versatile Shopper and Bobby Taylor Consulting ...Nigeria May 2008.

2008-05-27T11:03:00.007-04:00

If one is to start, it should be from the top...

I quit my job and I was SUPER emotional about it. It had been my safety blanket of sorts, for over 3 years. I loved my bosses and my co-workers, and although I will miss them, I needed to make a decision...and I did!

Moving on...

I am always analyzing myself and what I want for my company. I always have about three years worth of plans floating around in my head. Why? Just the planner in me I guess...who knows! I can be that way at times...a tad bit anal (as my husband lovingly calls it). It's something you will either like or dislike about me. My goal was to get more people aware of The Versatile Shopper outside of the clients I already had, family and friends, I needed to finally build on it. I needed a PR guru!!!!

Bobby Taylor was someone I had read about via her blog. I had not met her, but I had heard of her work. I have a few friends in PR in the US, so I wasn't really as concerned about this part of the world. However, Nigeria was foreign territory for me and I needed to fix that ASAP!! So in comes BTC...to my rescue.

For women, its often tough getting along, mainly because its sometimes hard to understand each other, especially if you work together closely, without a breaking in period. Fortunately I am a very good communicator in regards to making sure we understand each other!! Bobby and I clicked immediately on a personal and professional level...but I think I would be honest enough to say that she had to get used to me and how decisive I am about what I want. Bumped heads a few times over my never ending questions...happily we got over it, and I am completely satisfied! She has done an AMAZING job so far!!!

There are certain key people in my life that I know if they need me, I will drop whatever I am doing for them. They all know who they are, no need to put them all on blast...but one of them was getting married in May and I HAD to be there. Bukky and I have been through a lot together. As hard as it is for people to believe that men and women can be friends and just friends, we are a true example of that. I know every single member of his family and when times were rough with my family, they were there for me...I will NEVER forget that!! I met my husband through Bukky (even though he put me on the spot...lol, but he still made it happen), I cried on Bukky's shoulder tons of times!! I learned how to hold my own in any argument from Bukky...that's how much we argue!! (Note to folks...arguing isn't a bad thing, you feel the need to explain yourself to people you truly care about - the others you simply watch and smile - LOL !!!) People think we are fighting – lol !! But that's my big brother for you...I love him to bits!! As his wedding was coming up, of course I knew I was going to be there (would kill myself if I wasn't) and I also had a new strategy drawn up by the team @ BTC so ...Nigeria here I comeee.......

May 1- 4...sorry that was all wedding stuff. Had to get my clothes together - thanks to Mrs. Iwajomo in Opebi for making my stunning dress in 3hrs!! No joke!! I was in SHOCK!! Our new wife yetunde chose some AMAZING colors! But then she is an event planner, and she KNOWS her ish!!! She was gorgeous as was the lucky groom. The wedding was very much a society wedding so it’s been all over the TV’s and papers...everyone was happy...it was a lovely wedding!! Once the fun part was over...I got down to work. Bolutife Shokunbi was the Sr. Pr consultant for BTC in Lagos running things, she was great. She handled everything perfectly.

We did Starhost on Soundcity...thanks to D and Mike. It was great meeting you both. I had a blast!!

Business TV ...thanks S.O....you are such an angel. Seriously!!!

Tosyn B, Niyi T, Dayo E, Ayo A ,Abiola A, Adeola B, Noble I, Gbemi O, Latasha N, Symon A, Tolu O, the guys at Metro FM...thank you all for taking an interest in me and my company. I know how tough it is getting around Lagos and how busy you all must be, yet you all went out of your way to meet with me...THANKS!!! Trust me, I wont forget...with me its the little things!!

Despite the harrowing schedule, which I totally LOVED!! I had a blast. I checked out Louise Priddy's Posh Cafe...not bad at all. Louise and I are also planning to talk about her closet...hmmmm!!
La Casa...took some pounds off as I danced my life away with Titi and Tola...the ever trendy No. 10...where I met Olu Maintain (we are in talks to see how we might make that happen...who knows) ate and danced several times!!

All in all I had a wonderful trip. I accomplished what I set out to do.

What’s next?? Stay tuned... I am back and fully in The Versatile Shopper mode. It’s all good from here on out.

A special thanks to my darling husband for always supporting his stubborn little wife; Bobby, Bolu, Noble, Titi, Tobi ,Tola and the Ajayi's...you all helped me in so many ways on this trip. Love you guys! Enjoy the pictures below...

Updates...May 21, 2008

2008-05-21T11:14:00.005-04:00

I should be used to going a mile a minute...but I still shock myself from time to time.
This trip to Nigeria & London is a good example of that.

Let's see what I can accomplish in 14 days if I don't sleep!!!
I want to attend one of my best friends wedding...
I want to see my new little niece...
I want to see my in-laws...
I want to do the interviews lined up for me...courtesy of the lovely ladies at Bobby Taylor Consulting.
I want to see my clients, delivering items they have already paid for.
Trying to also get new ones...
I want to see my dad...
Shop for LJ in London...gotta get those exclusive sneakers and tees!!
Go to Abeokuta and Akure too...
Also try to hang out with my friends...yikes!!!!

All this in 14 days...

Stay tuned to see how well I did.
Trust me a lot got done...but a lot didn't get done too!! The picture above is of me , trying my HARDEST to figure out my schedule!!!

More to come...
RF

Long Overdue...

2008-04-09T21:42:00.002-04:00

Malaria is kicking my butt!!
That's what I get for looking after my son more than myself on my trip to Nigeria.
Sigh...
Will be back!!!

Happy Birthday Toni Payne!!!
I wasnt too busy or sick to forget!!!

long story...

2008-03-28T20:52:00.003-04:00

Whew!!!
I have definitely missed blogging.
Even if its a single word...I intend to write something more often. I doubt content has ever been a problem, so get ready!
Here's a hint...should I mention that in this year alone I have been to Nigeria twice?? A lot of family stuff to deal with.

So needless to say, there is tonnes to blog about!!

Stay tuned...

Updates - Feb 3, 2008

2008-02-03T20:18:00.000-05:00

While growing up, I think every single person I know, wanted to be older.
I can't wait to get older so I can go out when I want to.
I can't wait to grow up so I can buy what I want...
I can't wait to grow up and move out...
The list goes on and on.
We are all grown up now and we wonder why we were in such a rush to get older. We can go out now at will, but the problem is figuring out which of the million and one things you want to attend, how long to stay there for, what to wear, what to bring...a whole different set of issues. Being an adult comes with a lot of responsibility.
With Fashion Week upon us in NY, our number one issue right now is how to split ourselves into a million places at once!! Never an easy time. But making it happen is crucial to keeping track of everything.
So to all the tweens out there, enjoy your youth and the fact that there are no pressures on you YET!!! Give it time, its going to come whether you like it or not!!! To all the fashionistas - Welcome to FASHION WEEK!!!

Holiday Sample Sale - till Jan

2007-12-12T23:05:00.001-05:00

I know its been AGES!!!! Forgive me!! I havent had the same dedication as I should to blog anymore. But I am making it my new years resolution to be better!!

I have been super , super busy, but I am going to take a quick second to let you guys in on the best kept secret in town. I recently visited my friend's new store right beside Century 21 downtown. Though its not a sample sale per se, it does have sample sale - type pricing. His jeans are all in season...True Religion, Seven's , Citizens of Humanity, Frankie B, Joe's Jeans and much more. Check it out.

The address is 2 Cortlandt Street, 2nd floor off broadway(right next door to Century 21). As long as I have been complaining about getting a pair of True Religions that I really love, I finally bought a pair of them with the help of Stephanie and Kian. Thanks guys!!!!

Please show them some support ...tell them I sent you!

Updates next week!!

Larry Johnson , styled by Remi Fagbohun in the new Roc Boys Video

2007-11-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

Even though I haven't been blogging, you guys have been on my mind!!! My apologies all....
Check out my client looking his usual handsome self styled by me, wearing grey pin - stripe Dolce & Gabbana suit , light blue Gucci shirt, Richard James polka dot tie and Etro pocket square. HOT!!!

I'm sorry I haven't a damn clue how to embed the video onto my blog and haven't the energy to try!!! LOL!!
http://videos.onsmash.com/v/lpfbTekxRAM2HP6L

Will try and get better at posting, its so damn time consuming!!!!

Video courtesy of OnSmash.com!! Thanks!!!

Christy Bareijsza and the Versatile Shopper....7/29/07

2007-07-29T17:24:00.001-04:00

Even if I cant blog much...I can show what I have been up to, right?

Christy Bareijsza of The Red Carpet Events is one of my best friends and an amazing event planner. Remember that you heard about her here first!! She is well on her way to the top, especially with the calibre of events that she currently has under her belt. Kindly join me in wishing her all the best in the upcoming weeks as she tackles her busiest week ever!!!

Here we are about to go out for a night on the town. Should I mention that all pictures you see of her, were styled by me?? Well, I thought that was obvious!!

What else have I been up to??

Styling and shopping of course!!!

Espy awards 2007!!!

2007-07-11T22:50:00.000-04:00

I feel like every post starts with an apology...

And I realized, I needn't apologize for being busy, reading my posts half of the time you can clearly understand exactly how jam -packed life really is for me.

My client was in town again, yay for me!! Pictures should surface tomorrow of him at the ESPY awards,in L.A in which he was nominated!! I think it was for best NFL player or something like that... It will air this weekend (pls don't ask me when, I am too tired to go and check)...This time he was beautifully decked out in an amazing Tuxedo!! Black tux, black shirt (if he didn't change anything ), pocket square, traditional glossy tuxedo shoes...he looked sharp!! Very handsome...(sorry folks, but I cant give it all away...he likes his privacy!!!)

As far as celebs go, I couldn't ask for a better client. He truly is a great person and a pleasure to work with...join me in wishing him well in negotiations...

Thanks to my 2 favorite people who always make sure I have whatever I am looking for...Carl and Hope @ Paul Smith. The both of you are a pleasure to know. I am truly happy we met and I look forward to working more with the both of you. Who knows what the future may hold.
Here's to building your dreams...

For discerning individuals, the Paul Smith Fall Collection is pretty intense-seriously!! You really shouldn't miss out on it, especially since i have already put in pre-orders!! Seriously THAT good!! Make sure to ask for my people down in Soho...

As per me???

Looking for more clients, the search goes on. Pls remember there are referral fees...

xoxoxo

BET Awards and celebrity clients...

2007-06-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!!
Last time I posted, it was about one celebrity client, that I had shopped/styled for the BET awards show, right?? Well that went beautifully! I can proudly say that I styled Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs; and he was wearing Gucci. His date was Julissa Bermudez and she looked absolutely stunning!!!

Talking about the awards, I have a few favorite dresses. Beyonce always looks great. The Dolce and Gabbana Belt did her figure justice!!! In my opinion. Others may happily disagree...

I loved Julissa Bermudez's dress (you must see the back of that dress) Melyssa Ford's outfit, Ciara's, Nicole Scherzinger's , The colors in Eva Pigford's dress made her stand out...
Amerie looked great in the yellow number...

The entire Ross family and the Swizz Beats family looked great. I loved the color co-ordination with the Beats family especially. Family is VERY powerful! Its always great to see them all together at these events.

Of course my favorite male walking the red carpet would be Larry Johnson...DUH!!!

Anyway, as far as celebrities go, I now have another one added to the roster. DJ Chuck Dogg is a popular NYC DJ on Power 105.1 FM. He is on the 2-6pm shift from Saturday-Wed. He is a producer, DJ and on air personality...tune in and show him some love! We met recently and I had to dress him for the Entertainment Weekly party last week. He walked the Red Carpet and that makes 2!!! We are in the process of changing his whole look. Stay tuned.

So people...

Here is the beginning of my foray into the land of celebrity styling. 1 becomes 2, 2 becomes 4. I am still available for regular shopping/styling (no egos here, not likely to ever be any either) , so no one should get any big ideas. My email address isn't changing, this will still be my blog(but a little understanding on the lacking updates)...so feel free to reach out! Especially the soon to be brides. I am always available for your consultations.

Have a great day all!!! The links will take you to the pictures on wireimage...not trying to wreck my subscription...
http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=GLS====278071&str=&styp=&sfld=&nbc1=1&sortval=3a&PageNum=1

Updates June...

2007-06-18T13:13:00.000-04:00

Ok-
I finally made it back to bloggville.
My apologies to everyone...you really need to understand that time is one of those crucial commodities that I never seem to have enough of!!

A few highlights...

Snagged my first non-naija celeb... nothing wrong with Naija celebs o...but the coverage is limited to Naijas...and we know that I need GLOBAL coverage. BET awards is GREAT(which is what this was for)...Grammy awards next!! Can't tell you who or what he is wearing until afterwards. But lets just say the dress code we chose is black and white...and there is beautiful lady in white on his arm! They are going to look FABULOUS!! Stay tuned... I will be glued to the tv on the 26th!!!

My client couple in the UK needed their shopping done...usually a breeze. But this time it was a lot of back and forth... I hate that, but whats a girl to do really?? Kinda comes with the territory.

Several new clients and new connections have been made...

Christy Bareijsza is doing fabulously...I will post her lovely picture from the Operation Smile event, where she wore the Vivienne Tam dress soon (got to get her permission...) we are building her closet slowly but surely. She also has a Mara Hoffman dress too...

Introduced Mara Hoffman to a few clients who had never heard of her. I am the proud owner of several of her dresses and responsible for doing a decent amount of damage during her sample sale. Her dresses are amazing. Especially if you like color...which I do! Check out her website http://www.marahoffman.com/ My stay at home mom client also bought one of Mara's dresses. She absolutely LOATHES shopping! I can definitely not mention her name as she truly loves her privacy...so no picture there....

Gianni Bravo my ever faithful shoe supplier, has just sent me their fall line sheet...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

Thanks to everyone that bought the frenzii tops...

Still looking for new clients, but then when am I not??

I am trying to update my website...(hasn't happened yet!)

Trying to have a better looking myspace page...(also hasn't happened)

Also still networking ferociously...which means I am doubling up on caffeine to keep up. Quite a few good parties too...

More info soon...but hopefully you understand better now, why blogging is not factoring higher on my list of priorities...Housework , versatile work and mommy work calls.

Geez its tough being a woman, its even tougher being me and wanting to do it all!

P.S.
Hubby and son are fine.
In the midst of all this chaos, I still found time to find a summer camp and to plan a vacation for us.

MIA...

2007-05-16T23:38:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, being MIA isn't really an option, but ...whats a girl to do???
Just got back from a fabulous sample sale adampluseve. 75 ninth ave btw 15th and 16th, today was day one, definitely worth a look , they will be around till saturday! Sigh...more details to come.So many things are going on cant think straight

Tomorrow its hollywould...

More later!

Getting The Red Carpet Treatment!

2007-04-23T14:57:00.000-04:00

I have had one hell of a week! Definitely a good week, but also it just seemed extremely LONG!

Christy Bareijsza is the owner of The Red Carpet, and one of my newest clients! She is an amazing event planner and she constantly has one event or another to attend. Her image is important and it is now my responsibility (I LOVE THAT) , to build her wardrobe and make sure she is presenting the right image. She has to be the sweetest person I have met in a loooong time! She is very much a girl after my own heart as she believes that once she finds someone who can do their job, there is really no reason to look elsewhere. Did I mention how talented she was??

You see I like people who actually realize that I know what I am doing and let me do what I do best. It’s not an easy feat for a lot of people to simply trust another individual. I get that, honestly, I do. But it is also a tad bit frustrating when you can see that something is really going to work for a person, yet…they can not see it themselves! I am not going to act like I am also not guilty of doing the same thing. When I first met my hair stylist Hadiiya Barbel (www.hadiiyabarbel.com) 4 years ago, I came to her with a set style in mind. I wanted the big afro curls that a lot of people were wearing with shades of blond. She had mentioned that it would be better if I had softer curls, but I was insistent! Needless to say, she did exactly what I wanted, and I HATED it!! I looked like Tina Turner!! No joke! Now I just sit in her chair and she decides what my next look will be. This is a relationship that has grown over the years…but it has never failed me yet. Down to my newest look – choppy bob with a streak of auburn in it! Would never have come up with that on my own - EVER!! She is really talented and has worked with so many people its ridiculous! Check out some of the people she has worked. Yup, they are all her clients. I should know since I bump into them regularly in the salon!! Tell her Remi sent you , if you ever decide to contact her!

Back to Christy…

I told her how I liked to work and found out she is one of those people who would rather not go into a store again if she could possibly avoid it. YAY!! Sounds like a match made in heaven, because if I had my way, I would be shopping everyday!

Once we figured out what are respective ideas were concerning her new look, we went through her closet trying to weed out what was needed and what was not. That took us about 2hrs, and then we hit the sample sale the very next day. Simon Showroom, which represents C+ C California, Paul and Joe, Citizens of Humanity and Elisa Coleman, was having their sale, which started that day. We were able to pick up a few things there and picked up even more at the ART OF SHOPPING sample sale in Soho on Saturday. That has to be where we did the most damage, thus far!!

She had a golf tournament to host for one of her clients and she looked like a million bucks…even if I say so myself!!

Keep looking out for THE RED CARPET ! When you see her picture on TV, you will know that’s all me!!

Did I mention I am not planning another party/dinner again?? Yup, that's Christy's job now! She really is THAT good!! I can also think about an official launch for my company too...hm mm!

As more and more people become comfortable with me blogging about them, I will mention more names. Until then...read on and imagine who they might actually be!

Everything Jersey...

2007-04-11T22:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, my apologies for not updating.

Work and life have been kicking my butt! It was far easier to comment on other blogs, than to update my own.

Spring is right around the corner and I wanted to talk about my latest love affair with Jersey. You see, jersey and I have always been rather fond of each other. I love it in the winter, when you can layer (I LOVE LAYERING) or in the spring when you need the sleeves, but not exactly the thickness...or in the summer when those jersey dresses make it possible to actually remail cool...

Despite the fact that I do not have an online store or anything, I tend to push a few items from time to time. Usually they are items I have fallen in love with and found to work for me and some of my clients. My company is set up to sell items as well as shopping and styling (hence the name Versatile)! Yes, I know...juggling it all!! My accountant never finds this amusing!!

Anyway here are two pictures of me rocking my latest Jersey. This and more are for sale, feel free to contact me for details. They come in every color possible , but for work, I chose blue and black. feel free to order (from me) or comment, they are $52 each discount available for multiples.

Have a great day everyone....imagine them on jeans and leggings too! The possibilities...

My process...

2007-03-30T07:41:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday everyone!

This post is dedicated to 9jamommy and Omara (lol) ...

The end of the week for most people means rest and relaxation… for me its usually a sign of more work – LOL!!

This post stems from the recurring question that I have been getting from a few bloggers (ok, not just bloggers/friends/would be clients…you get the jist of it)

How does my process work??

Well, it all depends on the client.

If you are thinking of using my services, you must have internet access and a phone. Why? Well, its tough enough shopping for people, but communication is the key to making it more successful.

If this is established, then here are the steps below.

Fill out a profile. Now for bloggers that want to stay anonymous, you don’t have to worry about that, your privacy is something that I value and will not disclose. The profile is rather simple, it tells me a bit more about you, your general sizes(across varying designers), body type, max/min per purchase, favorite designers, likes and dislikes etc. You fill it out and return it to me.

Then we chat via phone to discuss which of my package options you prefer. The packages are also rather simple. Either account based (where there is a direct debit taken out of your account to support your shopping habit – LOL) or a sort of pay as you go option (I want to spend 500 right now, what can I get for that etc)

Once we have decided what you want to do, I send you a few options that I think might work for you based on our conversation. These are all pictures that I have taken in the store or have ...

Now we get to the money part. I do not purchase anything for anyone without having their money (for first timers a deposit) first. Sorry folks, but I have to protect myself too! You have multiple ways of getting it across to me. Either you give me your credit card info (I have a credit card machine), send me a check, or wire the money to me. There are also simple ways of merely depositing into an account (more details later – can’t put everything online!!!)

Once we have this all sorted out, we discuss your shipping options versus people going to naija/eurpope. I tend to prefer to ship (its far more reliable). But people sometimes have relatives coming over who also help them carry their items back – I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT!!!

Now for people within the tri-state area, its a lot simpler. i still need you to fill out the profile, but we can meet in person to figure the rest out, which cuts short the process drastically. when I take people out shopping (I do that too), I have an hourly rate. To style you for an event…it all depends on if I am doing the shopping as well. I do not “double charge” my clients.

FAQ
Do you shop for everyone?
Yes I do. Man, woman and child.

Are the items authentic?
Yes, I have always had very high standards. My reputation is very important to me. A lot of people want to save money buying asking for high quality replicas. I am sorry, but I am not the girl for you. That is my reputation on the line and I have worked hard to build it, not looking to wreck it for a few bucks!!

Do I ship?
Yes I do, DHL preferably (I also have their account), but we can use any method you are comfortable with as long as I can track it.
If you can afford it and if it is a large enough (shopping for the whole family) or expensive enough item (such as a Rolex - no one will carry that!!), I will bring it to you. Obviously you cover the travel expenses. Same applies if I am styling you outside of NYC and you need me to be present.

Do I also sell items?
Yes I do.

Is there a max/min to start with??

Yes, when I take people out shopping, the minimum is 3 hrs. Very little can be done in under that amount of time.

When shopping for people from afar, there isnt a minimum. However, it would make no sense if your shipping costs outweigh your purchases. It would make absolutely no sense...

Any other questions, feel free to ask!
Referrals from bloggers and bloggers get a discount. Just mention it.
Thanks everyone - have a great weekend!!

Men in Colors other than BLUE!

2007-03-15T22:16:00.000-04:00

Shopping for people isn't always a cup of tea you know. Sometimes it is DOWN RIGHT ANNOYING!!

A lot of people actually say they want to change their closets/the way they dress, but really don't. I end up having to do the same job twice.

In my family, we love fashion. I mean my son loves clothes and looking good, so does my hubby (he is another story entirely!) And there is no color that we wont wear. My husband owns literally every color shirt possible! His ties are something I need to post about!!

I am bringing this up because I tend to forget sometimes, that not everyone is as evolved. I don't discriminate at all, but sometimes , Nigerian men can be the hardest people to shop for. They would rather just stick to what they know and not venture into anything new , which limits me professionally. A lot of Nigerian men think its effeminate to wear pink. Do they realize how those softer colors look against their dark skin?? Or how sexy women find it?? I guess not!

Brown is one of my clients within the corporate world in naija. He works for a telecom company and wears strictly suits. I started shopping for him last year and on his most recent shopping stint, he really wanted to break away from his usual colors(or so I thought). He has seen pictures of my husband and said that he would love to dress like him. He actually had the audacity to say that I was holding out on him as I do not send him colors that my husband wears. Now mind you, he has filled out my profile o, and has FIRMLY stated that he would never wear pink. Yet the picture he is complaining about, my hubby had on a grey 2 piece, 2 button suit, a pink shirt and blue paisley tie. Even if I say so myself my hubby was looking FIERCE! but you see, I do all of his shopping too, and there is no one telling me not to buy this color or that. my husband trusts me and knows thatif i am buying it, its because I believe its hot and its fashionable. Yes he is a clothes whore... what can I say, so am I! The more stunning the color, the more he loves it.

Anyway, when he contacted me this time and deposited the money, he said I shouldn't hold back...I was getting VERY excited here! As much as I love dressing my girls, I also love dressing my men, knowing the effect they have on the women when they see them decked out! The key is that women know what other women look for. Unfortunately, it takes a "GROWN" woman to be able to send her man out looking fierce and not being worried about how GREAT he looks. Its a pride for me...and my husband enjoys this daily!

Sigh... it should have ended nicely here, right??

Nope... it didn't!!

I did his shopping over the course of 2 weeks. He arrived for his conference yesterday ready to pick up his stuff. Now mind you, his favorite shirt colors are blue, yellow and white. Lilac has never touched his skin (at least so i think ) - he probably owns every shade of blue!
This time I didn't buy a single blue shirt - whats the point?? He said he wanted to change that , right?Boy was I wrong! He totally hated the pink shirts I bought without even opening them from the packs! I bought 3 different pink shirts from Hugo Boss(solid pink), Charles Tyrwhitt (herringbone pink pinstripe) and Paul Smith (multi color stripe -pink being the dominant color) . All the ties were Mimi Fong, in a paisley green (for his blue shirts) , a brocade red and another pink one! He hated them all!! Thank Goodness, i had a few other things that he did like, or else that might have been the end of that business relationship! Jeez!!

He went right back to BLUE! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Everything went right back to the store.

Nobody ever said it was always easy :(

Now here is my question for everyone out there. Do you limit yourself by wearing only certain colors? I personally wear every single color on the rainbow ( not all together - LOL) but in one way or another...

My husband wears it all and LOVES it. Pink(our personal favorite), lilac, orange...sigh. Thinking about some of his shirt and tie combos ...sigh!

What do you think???

Grown Women

2007-03-14T17:13:00.000-04:00

A very good friend of mine sent this to me and I immediately thought of posting it on blogger as it made me feel really good and I felt it might help others.

I am dedicating this particular post to all of my "GROWN WOMEN" and to my "GIRLS"out there. You have to once be a girl, to become a grown woman. Its hard , but it can be done! I am proof of that.

Grown Women

Girls leave their schedule wide-open and wait for a guy to call and make plans.
Grown women make their own plans and nicely tell the guy to get in where he fits

Girls want to control the man in their life.
Grown women know that if he's truly hers, he doesn't need controlling.

Girls check you for not calling them.
Grown women are too busy to realize you hadn't.

Girls are afraid to be alone.
Grown women revel in it-using it as a time for personal growth.

Girls ignore the good guys.
Grown women ignore the bad guys.

Girls make you come home.
Grown women make you want to come home.

Girls worry about not being pretty and/or good enough for their man.
Grown women know that they are pretty and/or good enough for any man.

Girls try to monopolize all their man's time (i.e., don't want him hanging with his friends).
Grown women realize that a lil' bit of space makes the 'together time' even more special-and goes to kick it with her own friends.

Girls think a guy crying is weak. Grown women offer their shoulder and a tissue.

Girls want to be spoiled and 'tell' their man so.
Grown women 'show' him and make him comfortable enough to reciprocate without fear of losing his 'manhood'.

Girls get hurt by one man and make all men pay for it.
Grown women know that that was just one man.

Girls fall in love and chase aimlessly after the object of their affection, ignoring all 'signs'.
Grown women know that sometimes the one you love, don't always love you back-and move on, without bitterness.

Girls will read this and get an attitude. Grown women will read this and pass it on to other Grown women and their male friends".

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
This is wonderful! We need to teach our young ladies to be grown women.
I didn't ask to be a Queen, but if the crown fits. . .

What do you think??? I am Very much a grown woman and proud of it. I know who I am and what I am worth. Do you?? We need more women to empower each other...pls feel free to comment :)

Late night styling...

2007-03-11T23:33:00.000-04:00

It is exactly 11:35pm.

Two friends just left my home after a late night styling session.

The International Beauty show is tomorrow and one of my friends does hair and make-up...
The IBS is a trade show where all of the hair and beauty companies showcase their products and they have thousands of beauty professionals together all under one roof . there are both seminars and amazing performances surrounding the 3 day event. My friend has work to do on 2 of those days.

They are required to wear all white one day, and all black the other. She wanted us to go over the looks to make sure they were on point. I love collaborating with other people in the fashion industry because they are easier to persuade to try something cutting edge , either new, old or daring. She is also GORGEOUS and would make a sack look good!! LOL!

Her white look was great...
a short sleeve military style blouse , that had bright silver buttons everywhere..., white wide leg pants, and round toe white , stiletto boots. I would have LOVED to break the white, but due to the color constrictions, I had to settle with the a lilac colored set of beads...as the only hint of color!

Her black look on the other hand will be sexier than ever!!
Black leather bustier top (with boning ) on top of a white wife beater and black leather pants. silver choker at her neck...

I must say I love what I do!!
Have a great week all!!!

2007-03-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

Hello all...

I know , I know, I should have posted ...

But it hasn't been easy getting time to do it - my apologies!

Thanks to everyone who sent me messages asking how I was...I truly appreciate it!!

Needless to say, I have always stated how busy my life usually gets. The lacking updates are mainly because blogging for me is very, very delicate and time consuming. Why delicate?? I can never freely come and pour my heart out. Why?? Well first, I have clients. Number one rule in business, you should never expose your clients or put their business out there. As much as I would love to sit here and chat about it all …I unfortunately cannot. Why time consuming?? Read my older posts and look at an example of my day. I refuse to blog from work (OK, its also not allowed) and trying to blog via blackberry isn’t ideal!!

Sigh!

I have been rather busy in the past few days, and yes, it has been with clients. Well also dealing with my son's stuff too, but that's another story entirely!

One of my clients came into town from London and I needed to take her out shopping and also to entertain her … another was pushing for stuff within a very short time frame from Nigeria. By pushing I mean he wanted a lot of shopping done within a few days so that he could avoid the shipping charges… having his friend bring it back. Mind you the friend is only here for a business trip … for about 3 days! So I had three days to pull stuff together for a seriously Ijebu dude who likes designer stuff! I call him this to his face, so I know he won’t be offended if he reads this!! I pulled it off…YAY for me!!

OK, so let’s pick something more generic

Let’s talk about styling and shopping in general and why I got into it.

I chose this profession because I actually happen to enjoy making people feel good about themselves. When it comes to shopping, I am the energizer bunny reinvented!! I don’t get tired, even if I don’t buy one item for myself!! Saving money is crucial and that’s why being in NYC and having my ear to the ground helps. Sample sales, friends in the right places, an excellent memory and a lot of self control, ensure that my services will always be needed. Did I mention also being stylish??? LOL!!! Every sale I get, I pass on to my clients. Why?? Because I still get paid regardless. You’re paying me to find the deals for you!!

Here’s a good example…

Out at dinner and I meet a new up and coming designer who has heard about what I am doing and my company. He invites me to his studio and I fall in love with his shirts for men. They are finished just the way I like them ( I am big on finishing) and they are funky enough that my hubby would even wear them (hubby is a serious fashion guy and wouldn’t wear anything “conservative or boring” – and yes its all my fault too!!) He gave my hubby one, and I took some pictures and sent it to my male clients. They liked it, and proceeded to order a few…typical networking in a nutshell. I knew that credit card machine would come in handy!!

On another note…

A lot of people do not realize that no one is perfect. Even the best looking person has something that they hate about themselves, they have realized how best to cover up their flaws. Nigeria really doesn’t encourage the whole self esteem thingy. I realized after moving back to this country that your confidence in yourself, will take you places. The fact that you have choices, gives you that confidence that I find, takes everything to the next level. Looks, business, school, relationships – EVERYTHING!!

How confident are you?? In yourself, in your skills, your looks, your relationships…

Valentine's gifts for women...

2007-02-08T22:54:00.000-05:00

Ladies, I really wanted to get the Valentine's posts back to back, my apologies for the GAPS!!!

Men, this goes out to you.

Valentine's day is a time for you to really go all out and spoil your wife/girlfriend/partner. This is the time that you can actually do something extravagant and least expected of you.

Here are my all time favorite gifts

Jewelry - either a ring, wristwatches , a necklace or earrings. If yore not sure what kind of jewelry she would like, then try and look through her jewelry box and figure out what is missing or just ask well in advance!
Bags - Now not just any old bag will do the trick...if she is a designer babe (as most ladies nowadays are) then get her one she doesnt already have. If you also want to play it safe, then get her the latest from her favorite designer. If she isnt a designer chick...here is your opportunity to shine, by introducing her to it.
Spa's - since some men aren't willing to try the spa just yet, you can either treat her to some pampering at home, with a massage, or buy her a spa session...
Dinner - as long as she doesn't cook it, that could be VERY romantic...remember to set the mood ; that's what takes your dinner from boring to romantic! Buying and then laying it out for her is also an option.
Lingerie - if you re buying her any clothes, it has to be sexy lingerie...there is just no other way to go!! If you re not in Nigeria, then furs work too...
If she is a techie - you have loads of options, but again this isn't my favorite choice as its not romantic ...
Romantic and creative lovemaking, remember - Making her feel like a queen, is KEY!
Flowers , chocolates and flowers make us feel eben more loved

Almost everything that I listed for men, would work for women too - Happy Valentines day in advance!!

Enjoy!!!

NYC Fashion week...

2007-02-07T22:55:00.000-05:00

"Yawn"

I have slept approximately 3hrs as I type this, I am still reeling from my packed day yesterday , too numb to think of the ones prior to that! Narciso Rodriguez's show was last night at Cedar Lake, Jax Lorette launched her Tshirt line at the Night Hotel and mind you , this is all after a full day of work!!

Sigh...

Got off work at 6pm -

Rushed home to cook dinner , ok - so I cheated...heated leftovers (Jollof rice is great 2 days later you know!!) - 6:45

Dinner served and planted in front of my son ... started to get ready - 7:15

Hit the Holland Tunnel @ 7:30

Looking for parking....yikes its 7:53pm

parking.... parking... parking in NYC is such a bitch!!! ok got a spot!!

Have you heard about the friggin weather?? No way to be cute and warm at the same time, I love my health and cannot afford to be sick!! So I opted for fashionably WARM!! Wasn't looking my hottest, but I made sure I carried my Balenciaga bag which will pick ANYTHING up!!

parked two blocks away....2 NYC blocks....THAT'S FAR!!!

Got in and even had time to catch a drink with my friend backstage (trust me I got in via a friend, not going to lie about knowing the designer if I don't!!).... she was covering the show and is always a GODSEND as she covers them all outside of Bryant Park.

Show must have started at about 8:45pm. That's what I get for rushing. Didn't get the best seat, but at least I wasn't standing!

Hmm, details??

Black, black and white, black and off-white (called bone this season) the few splashes of color he had were in blue, and silver (got to look through the pictures again) Loved the floor length coats he had...one in Bone one in white...I guess they just looked so cosy and warm!! Skinny pants aren't going ANYWHERE!! They don't fit all body types, but hey...that's life!

Picked up one of my dearest friends... YAY!!

Jax Lorrette is a cool designer that I reached out to last year. I missed her show in Sept but kept in touch with her so we were invited to her bash. She launched her new t-shirt line and was having a party @ the Night Hotel. Very cute T's!!

Left there @ 10:45 metered parking - NYC grief...hit Pre:Post...I was starving!! Had a jalapeno Pizza - not bad... more friends caught up with us, ended up @ Cain...

Got home at 2:30...had a meeting with the teachers at our son's school - 7am , which means I was up MAD EARLY!!

Final decision, he is leaving the school, I have tried it ALL - another post for another day, I haven't the energy to get into it right now, honestly!!

Signing out at 11:40pm Wed - and this is a skeletal post!! No pictures as I am too lazy to get up to upload...

I can hear my hubby asleep already, he wonders how the HECK I am able to juggle it all. Honestly I DON'T KNOW!!

Next will be the valentine gift options for women...no blenders pls!!

Finishing up the order...Chief 1

2007-02-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

Just getting back from one of my jaunts to one of my favorite showrooms. Sigh...it was HAAAAARD not getting something... oh well, here comes my self control kicking in as usual!!

Lets call him Chief 1 (as there are several chiefs ...) will be VERY happy, both bags will make the ladies VERY hapy. I know how much I love bags and I would carry them both...

I was already tired from working all day, but I know I also have something tomorrow, so I really didn't have a choice, but to head there today!! Chief 1's associate leaves on Saturday and it would save them the costs if I could hand it to this guy instead of using my DHL account. My girl at the showroom , literally stayed late to show me the bags she had for sale...

I didn't get there until about 6:45pm. They are located in midtown and I am in the financial district, so it took far longer than i thought it would to get there. She had left two messages on my blackberry , by the time i got out of the train station... Urgh!

Anyway, as anyone who has been in a showroom knows...everything is laid out to perfection. Whatever they had that might suit my purposes were laid out BEAUTIFULLY!! I won't bore you with the details , but I got both of the designer bags for far less than i expected to. I chose a beautiful yellow one for the wife and a wine one for the "other". Seems like chief 1 will get something after all.

Jeez...

Yippee, LondonG (male client living in London-LOVES designer gear with a passion) left me a message about some shopping he needs to do... YAY!! Its too late to call him back tonight, because of the time difference...but first thng tomorrow , its on. I already know what to get him, something I saw tonight in the showroom. Hmmm wonder if he still wants that messenger bag we were talking about before...

Valentines day gift options for men...

2007-01-30T21:36:00.000-05:00

Two very lovely bloggers inspired this post...

They had questions about what to get their husband's for Valentine's day. Now thank you Favored girl and Belissima for the question that's probably on a lot of minds...

Now as a personal shopper this has got to be the number the question I get asked the most. Most people contact me for that reason and depending on what they have done in the past , I have to ask a lot of questions to know what to suggest...

My response on the other hand tends to change depending on the occasion. In this instance , lets focus on Valentines day. Ladies, it is BORING to get guys shirts for this occasion. I wouldnt want a suit for Valentine's day , would you?? I am sorry but it happens to be true. Clothes could work for Christmas, Father's day and birthdays... but during the sexiest , most romantic time of the year? I think NOT!!

Here are a few suggestions that range from free, to Luxury...
They are also not listed in any particular order...

Have a romantic dinner. Yes ladies, you can set this up too. It is no longer just something a man can do. You can set those candles up, get a sitter and have a candlelight dinner with either food you have a chef cooking for you, ordered or cooked yourself (no one has to know)
Same concept as above, making it more elaborate by adding on dessert (chocolate covered strawberries, chocolates or whatever tickles your fancy) in the bathtub with a large scented candle or two no other lights needed...
Adding onto the above, take step this to the next level and take him to bed and take care of your man! I am sure that if you have been with him longer than a month , you know him well enough to know how to turn him on. For most women, its a bit tough to take the lead and initiate sex...this would be the right time to try. Never think about embarrassing yourself, because if I am guessing correctly, most people wait for their husbands to do the prodding... he will be too shocked to notice how nervous you are (that is if your not a professional at this already!) Oh and get out the sexy lingerie, no oversized t-shirts allowed!!
Ok...all sexiness aside(as none of the above will make me a dime- LOL!!!) Now for physical gifts, I tend to do the items that are luxurious (the long sought after LV wallet, messenger bag etc), not everyday, run of the mill gifts... If he is an active individual, then get him a gift bungee jumping( I know it might be too scary for some) , 4x4 off road driving (you can do it too, I have and its FUN!!), indoor skydiving...or even get him to drive the car of his dreams (yes you can rent a porsche /ferrari /lamborghini for an hour and rock his world)... that is if he isn't already driving his dram car....The options are numerous. Just type in unusual gifts in your browser and you will be surprised at your options. If you need more help...ASK ME!!
Buying your man "sexy" underwear, silk or satin pajamas ( trust me, men like it too) cologne (not my favorite, but its an option), a nice tech toy (because its something he will savor),I would even do a very jazzy tie before I did a shirt... no offence ladies, but imagine yourself taking the tie off and using it? Hey maybe I am a little selfish as I wear my hubby's ties...so they HAVE to be fierce!!
Spa - yesssssssssssssssssssssss. Men do go to the spa too. The only way to get him to go would be to go with him. It might cost yo a pretty penny, but its well worth it. There are tons of places that cater to both sexes, and even give you both facials, massages, pedicures, manicures and scrubs. For men, i think the scrub and massage (you don't have to really do both) are very good choices. Don't think its nude, most times its not,(maybe semi... we prefer nude as I feel cleaner) but remember you have a choice in that matter and if you re up for it, they will be too...this is also a way to take your relationship to another level...its kind of late right now to get slots for V-day, so you might have to do it a few days after or before...
Men love jewelry too...
If all else fails I guess we can always go back to the shirt :)

Don't be afraid to try new things...

I don't know your men, so everything really depends on them. But surprising them , by going out of your way to do something you know they would like, even if its something you normally complain about, will take your relationship a long way. Did I mention Lapdances?? Men are really just kids at heart... they love treats. It also raises the stakes as he will feel he has to top your gift

What were the best and worst presents you got or gave someone for Valentine's day??

I gave a few of mine above obviously!! Check back later for my post on the worst!!

Enjoy!!

The start of a new week...

2007-01-28T22:07:00.000-05:00

Its Sunday night , about 10:07 pm E.S.T

I feel much better and cant stop beating myself up mentally for missing out on two great parties. No details, but lets just say they were frigging awesome (from what I have heard) , just my luck!!

I had a rather relaxing weekend, being sick definitely has its perks, as well as its ever present downsides. I didn't have to fill any orders (not that I didn't have any, they just aren't pressing), didn't have to take anyone out shopping, jeez I barely did grocery shopping ...YAY for me!

But for every lazy weekend, there comes a VERY busy week! In my case I think this is going to be a brutal week! After missing out on a few days of work, I am sure my work has piled up-NOT GOOD!! Valentines day is right around the corner and like every other optimistic business owner, I am seriously hoping for the absolute best!! Which means, more new clients and an even busier juggle of priorities...I LOVE IT!!

Fashion week is always the best time for every fashionista...and also the worst time for me since I have a 9-5 ...

You see , most people in the fashion industry are able to take time to go to fashion shows because they are required. They are even expensed, that's how much of a prerequisite they are... Sigh, I doubt Wall street would see it that way, and I honestly don't expect them to. But you can see my dilemma... I can only get to one or two...weekends are a plus, but the good ones are gone by that time, needless to say the parties are great, but having missed out on the shows itself, it limits the depth of my conversation ( not to say I have any problem, whatsoever finding another topic) but I would love to be a part of it and not just a nodder or smiler... especially since I always have a frigging opinion.

Here is a good example of one that I totally goofed on, I was sooo late! I was introduced to Carmen Marc Valvo , backstage at his fashion show for Fall O6, and he asked me (yeah I know, me???) what I thought of the collection...in my mind I was saying jeez what did she (my friend who introduced us) tell me the colors were ??. Since I only caught the last two models walking down the runway...all I could do was gush that it was great..."absolutely beautiful" I felt like a simpleton!! I can usually pull a lot more out of the hat than that, but conflicts abound regardless, and that usually hurts....A LOT!!

I don't aim for the shows that conflict with work, at least for now. I do have my priorities and what can I say , I am a new business owner and it is absolutely essential that I maintain and balance as much as I can- BOTH! New businesses are not known for making that big a profit in the first few years. I don't need the additional pressure, but I would love to have a clone!

Have a great week all!!
And let me know if you need help figuring out what gifts to get...that is my job you know!

Sick and Tired...

2007-01-27T01:19:00.000-05:00

Hello bloggers
Thank GOD this week is over! It was absolutely painful! I have been feeling a little off since our return trip from Maryland and it fully kicked into overdrive on Wed and I had to leave work early...didn't go in Thursday or Friday! Headaches, sore throat and a serious bodyaches that made sitting upright a pain in the ass!!

I wish the rest of the world realized I was sick ...no such luck! One of my wealthy male clients called from Nigeria and he wanted me to pick out two lovely bags for the women in his life. It sometimes baffles me , the way polygamy is such a normal thing in Nigeria. Its also part of the reason why I won't live there anytime soon!

Client: How are you today Remi,
Remi: A little sick but , otherwise managing. How is your family doing??
Client: Very well thank you.
Remi: Did your wife like the Christmas present??
Client: She liked the one I got her , as I gave the necklace you bought to someone else.
Remi: sigh...so she still doesn't know I exist and here I am still waiting for a referral so that her friends can also use my services...
Client: Don't worry, I am throwing plenty of business your way. Abi the shopping that you're doing for me no do??
( I am thinking ...how is this going to help me grow the business if you keep it hidden?)
Remi: Are we doing any shopping for Valentines day?? Or are you going to be traveling yourself??
Client: I may be traveling but it is still up in the air, but I have sent some money down through an associate so you will be getting a call soon. Pls get me two lovely bags...I liked one of the pictures you sent me, but I don't remember who it was by...
Remi: What color was the one you liked?? I remember sending you several pictures of the upcoming spring stuff so I am not really sure which you're referring to.
Client: Eh...anyone you choose is good. You know I keep buying the same designers and I think she is getting bored with those so you can choose any of them they all looked good. But I need you to get two (here's the part I am always uncomfortable with) one for my wife and the other for my mistress...the mistress loves all of the things you have bought. (But unfortunately the mistress doesn't spend any frigging money...she waits for money to be spent on her , which is no good for me!)
Remi: OK whats the price range? (this is a question I have to ask every time I buy something for someone so I don't go out of their budget)
Client: You know I don't like to spend too much money...
Remi: That's not an answer now....500, 1000, 1500 or 2000
Client : I have sent down 2500, but I want two bags, and it also includes your fee (jeez!!)
Remi: Ok, I will see what I can do.
Client: So how are you doing??
(he tries to hit on me every single time he places an order-what a frigging creep!! You can always tell that after haggling , his tone changes and he feels I owe him something for using my services-boy has he got it twisted!!)
Remi: Everyone is fine o, my husband sends his love...
Client: Oh ...is he there?
Remi: Yes he is. (I am at home , so where else would he be...DUH)
Client: ehen so will you have the items ready before Valentines day?? I don't want to pay for shipping but if I don't come myself, I am sure one of my friends will be coming down and will bring it back for me...
Remi: Sure just let me know when. There should be a few sample sales going on , so I will see how much I can save you...it all depends on the timing.
Client: ehen if there is change, don't forget my Ferragamo Slippers o
Remi: You will get your invoice as usual, and I know what you usually buy if there is anything left over...
Client: Ok, I trust you...Good night o, one of these days sha maybe you will let me take you out to dinner.
Remi: Of course now, my husband has been dying to meet you (LOL that should quench his fire a bit!)
Client: (always a bit uncomfortable at this point) call me when my guy gives you the money.
Remi: Ok ... thank you. (and I hang up)

Now do you remember I said I was sick?? All through this conversation I am mentally thinking of which bag to get him while I think of the last time I used my theraflu...

Why is it acceptable to have several women in Nigeria?? I have asked him several times and he says that he HAS to have several woman for his status?!!? Since when are multiple women status symbols??

I don't get it! Not to say all the men over here in the USA are utterly faithful , but it seems like in Nigeria you leave your wife at home , go out about the town with the mistresses, and have another one for traveling... I don't get it!!

My business minded ass unfortunately, will not say no to the money, as my motto is, I can shop for anyone...however, I can not say that I don't think about it every so often....But at least in my mind , I buy the better items for the wife!!!

Ass whooping with Style!!

2007-01-23T23:02:00.000-05:00

Whew-
Ok, so I am fashionably late...forgive me. I am sure you have noticed that my life isn't full of a lot of free time!

Last Tuesday- was at Cain NYC partying / promoting the Elitist line...

Friday - went out with Hubby to Pasha and Scores West ( yes I said Scores!!!)

Fashion week is next week! Jeez!! I am going to have to do my usual , I am going to have to double up on the caffeine intake to survive that....

I digress... Saturday drove to Maryland for a baby shower...sooooooooooooooooooo tired...

Sunday- family stuff and a client to take out...she needed a dress for her daughters wedding in the Bahamas... fortunately I didn't have to go far as she loved one of my friends designs and that made my life a WHOLE lot easier...

Monday- I feel like SHIT!! I must be coming down with something ...abi???
Tuesday- Had dinner with a client, after giving my son an ass whooping for throwing his temper tantrum 3x in one day. I was so done, took his little bob the builder boxers off and gave him too hard whacks...he went to bed appalled/crying as we have never been one to spank him a lot (never really had to...) but it has just gotten to the point where he is continuously acting up in school and acting the angel at home and around us. I do have problems with the school...and its a good thing we have interviews this week to see about another one... grrrrrrrrrrrrr

Are you tired yet???

I am...

On another note...I need to start shopping for my trip to Nigeria...urgh!!

64th Annual Golden Globe Awards....

2007-01-15T23:43:00.000-05:00

Whew... It is 11:43pm. Definitely time to go to bed, but I felt I should make a quick entry about the fashions at the Golden Globes this year.

Metallics, which we already knew was going to be HUGE this year had a major showing on Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tracey Edmonds, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Vanessa Minnillo.

Black will always be in...slight difference was the amount of lace featured this year... notable lace ensembles include Tina Fey and Cate Blanchett wearing Alexander McQueen. Penelope Cruz was in a lovely Chanel Couture... Jennifer Lopez...always looks amazing- also in black.

Purple and varying shades....
Evangeline Lilly wearing Versace lilac... Drew Barrymore - John Galliano designing for Dior...

White was EVERYWHERE!!!
Seen on Ellen Pompeo , Cameron Diaz, Sienna Miller, Salma Hayek (not the best dress for her body in my opinon) Hayden Panetierre....

Yawn...there is more, but I am falling asleep now and will have to fill in the gaps tomorrow.

Lest I forget congratulations to Forrest Whittaker, Eddie Murphy and my girl Jennifer Hudson!! They all deserved their awards!! To African Americans everywhere...Oscars here we come!!

What were your favorite fashions and moments ??

Balancing Act...

2007-01-11T21:10:00.000-05:00

At about 12:30pm yesterday I received a call from my son's school. Due to the beautiful thing we call technology, I knew exactly who was calling , and was dreading it.We all know that a call from your childs school is never a good thing! This time it was the head of his school. I could hear a screaming child in the background and I cringed once I recognized that it was my son...

He was having a 4 year old melt down! ( I call that a tantrum) They couldn't calm him and when it seemed that he was only getting more and more upset, they had no choice but to call me to come and pick him up!

Sigh...

I was at work, in the middle of setting up a lunch for a very important meeting and I knew my husband was having such a busy day, he wouldn't be able to pick him up either... which leaves me.

Now , both of my bosses are great , honestly. However that only makes you feel even worse when things like this come up. I was told I could leave if I had to but I was absolutely FURIOUS!!

I got to his school an hour later and he was as happy as could be. I had to sit down with his teacher and the head of the school and discuss what has been happening with him. "He is smart, the sweetest boy ever, quick to try and make sure everyone is happy...but (here comes the other shoe...) they had no idea why he seemed to just throw these tantrums" I had to point out to her that they DO NOT happen at home, EVER! I personally felt that they were not firm enough with him, but how do you teach someone to be firm , if they naturally aren't that way?? I love him and dont want him to be abused, but...

I am a firm believer in discipline, I don't mean beating the shit out of them, just making sure they realize there are consequences for their actions...when he was younger and wouldn't listen when you told him not to touch something , I would give him a flick. It was never anything that would hurt a lot, just hard enough to make him react, yet not hard enough to make him cry. As he has gotten older, if i even showed him that I was about to give him a flick he would behave. Yet , here we are now... he is sure to get a spanking, I can feel it!!

Sigh...

My son is extremely smart and wraps everyone (except me) around his little finger. I happen to think that cute will get you NOWHERE without the right attitude. They all think he is so cute and let him get away with murder! That is how we have arrived at this problem, now it seems he knows that he can do whatever he wants without getting into trouble in school, yet he wouldn't try it at home...

Needless to say, by the time he got home. We had a very long conversation (for a 4 year old , that's about 5 minutes) and I took away everything he had gotten for Christmas and told him he wouldn't have his beloved sleepover, which a friend of mine had offered him earlier in the week. She spoke to him and we all emphasized how unhappy we were with him. He fell asleep on the floor of his room crying... when his dad got home, he ran in the opposite direction, as opposed to
running towards his father. I guess someone has realized that he has done wrong... His dad took him into his room and let us just say that this is not an event that will repeat itself again.

The problem here is that , as confident as I am that I am a GREAT mother , I did have my doubts about whether I was falling short somewhere. I mean, its obvious that he spends a lot of time in school which he absolutely LOVES, but it doesn't stop the little doubt from creeping into my mind. Yet I know the situation will not change unless I win the Lotto. I have such great plans for myself, my family and my business and the only way to do that is to juggle it all!

Why cant we have it all???

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

2007-01-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

Blogging...
I have never been particularly shy or timid about anything. In my opinion, that means that blogging should come naturally , right?? WRONG!! It doesn't. Why? Trying to figure out where to start from and which of the millions of things teaming through my head to write about. Motherhood? Fashion? Celebs? Work (yuck...mind you arent they all work in one form or another??) Friends, Nigeria, America, London, Love...sigh, I could be here all day!

So since I got into this by way of my darling friend Lola (that's such a common name -no offence) I know how private you are dear so dont worry , no one will know its you... I am dedicating my first blog to you. You have created a monster...

Enjoy:)