Hey Girl! Yes, it has been a minute, no doubt. In my absence, you have been on my mind. I am making a few shifts that I can’t explain right now. Sometimes when waiting on things to manifest, you have to move in silence as it is still fragile. In essence, my neglect is temporary, I will be back.

So now, I have had a few chances to actually put on clothes aside from the weekly black uniform needed for work. This outfit is one I had to share. I did a collab with a contemporary luxury line here in Chicago, Laudi Vidni, it means individual spelled backward. That is crazy dope, right? They gifted me this amazing organic leather bag valued at $525 and a matching wallet valued at $245!

When Laudi Vidni contacted me, I immediately connected with the brand because of its mission to celebrate individual uniqueness. The company prides itself on making custom and one of a kind bags. Custom meaning you design it yourself down to every detail. Girl this bag was designed by yours truly. You know I had to make it distinct. I was eager to design something with many personalities, something less one dimensional. It just felt right to play with texture and a monochromatic pallet, so I did. Green seemed to have chosen me. Emerald green and cool citrus (olive mustard) were gems together on my Courante Day Bag. The added texture of the black woven print leads the path of this bag into a classic trend- straight adulting. Let’s not forget snake, (greys, neutrals, pink neutrals) are trending this year. That said, I had to have the embossed snakeskin strip across the front. Designing my own lux bag makes it even more marvelous and rather special to me. Finding a chance NOT to carry it is difficult because surprisingly, it goes with everything.

“Styling It”

Distinct is just about all we’ve been talking about and it doesn’t end just yet. Styling this bag was nothing shy of an epiphany after seeing this doper than dope Collusion blazer. It is so timeless, I’ll be wearing this blazer until I’m 901 years old. Honey bury me in it. The blazer reads you your rights, literally. This jacket is simply signature and giving all the 80s-90s confirmations, voluminous shoulders, bright colors, square silhouette, and masculine form….again, confirmed. Can we talk about this print? It’s totally paying homage to mastermind, couturier Elsa Schiaparelli. It was around the mid-30s she crafted the newspaper fashion print. I would have sworn the newspaper trend was birthed straight out of the early 70’s but I was wrong. Anywho,  I paired it with some leggings from Eloquii to slim the eyes from an overly squared look. Sometimes you have to soften the harsh or sharp edges to make a look more cohesive. When you’re styling a noisy ensemble, your intent should be to give every piece a separate note that harmonizes beautifully.  I was looking for noise in the chicest way, which is how I opted for this striped sweater from Neiman’s. Girl, it just did it for me- colors and all- a must! The two together were noisy, but not screaming. What I mean is, the prints were not unbearable. I can’t really describe the type of 80’s-90’s vibes I’m rocking right now, but these boots and this trench has me convinced I could co-star in A Different World as a fresh young proud black and Cuban college student, perhaps as Pam and Gina’s bestie on Martin or what about the new Vice President of Flava magazine on Living Single. While this outfit has me in an 80s-90s world of my own, there is yet and still a feeling that this type of style is catapulting into an era that’s before my time. Let’s just say, I’m currently living in the future.

Reg Lancaster/Getty Images

Style deets

coat: Apt. 9 + Cara Santana Topper Jacket

jacket: Collusion Newspaper Print Blazer (Sorry guys this gem is sold out)

sweater: Kayla Striped Crewneck Sweater

leggings: Similar Eloquii Leggings (These are similar, the ones that I have are stirrup from a few seasons ago)

booties: Steve Madden (Gosh, these patent “Spellbound” booties were an absolute hit!  These are sold out online, try your local Steve Madden store)

handbag: Courante Day Bag (Design your custom handbag)