I SWEAR I'm not Obsessed (But I AM a Little Dorky) About....

THIS...... HANDBAG.......



Can you all believe that I have not purchased a single handbag since my Quest for *THE* Bag almost a year ago? No Jive!!

I decided to go on a handbag fast after that, because I found myself with a closet of handbags that I was NOT using. Last spring, many of the bags were donated and I avoided temptation with no slip ups (I didn't even get any of the bags after my back went out!!!).... until today! LOL

I spotted this beauty on the arm of a woman at the Tracy Reese and JRT Multimedia “Shop for a Cause” event in NYC, featured on Essence Magazine Online.



This beautiful bag is from Coach, and sadly, that's all I know about it. I have a sinking suspicion that it's one of their "Audrey" bags, and that kinda seals the deal for me. I mean, if the bag, LITERALLY has my name attached it is.... I must find out! And I must have this bag. So I hereby crack this bottle of Absolute Brooklyn on the side of this blog and christen Quest for *THE* Bag 2011!! LMAO

Any information you may have about this bag, please leave a comment or shoot me a line!

:::drools::: Essence Street-style for Plus Size Fashionistas

I've mentioned my love for Essence's Street Style Photo Galleries in this blog before. Sadly, the past few galleries they've offered up have been less than inspiring. Until...

Photo Credit: Hannan Saleh

From the Street Style: Shout Out Brooklyn (Capturing beauties at Target’s First Saturday event Shout Out Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Museum). The woman in the image is Namik Minter, and she is simply lovely. A lot of the styles in this particular photo gallery were amazing (A few were "Meh" and one or two were "Dear God, Nooooo!!!!!"... guess which ones I mean! LOL)

But back to Ms. Namik. I love love love this outfit. I took one look and KNEW that I had to recreate it.... for the plus size ladies out there!



Let's start with the dress!!! Now in the picture, I couldn't tell if she was wearing a top/skirt combo, or a dress, so I elected to call it a dress and selected the Grey Sequin Knit Dress ($54.00, Torrid)



While Namik's dress clings to accentuates her killer curves, I think that the Torrid dress is a little more forgiving... which is great for big bellied gyals like me!

I selected a super-simple comfy blazer that has been on my "to buy" list for a couple of weeks now... the Relaxed One-Button Blazer ($39.99, The Avenue).



Simply roll up to sleeves to get that casually chic 3/4 length look!

Again, I couldn't tell if Namik was wearing a super funky necklace in the picture, or if what I was seeing was a part of the dress (or shirt!), so I once again came to the conclusion it was a necklace and set off to find the perfect one for this look, with the assistance of my homegirl, Stephanie (Thank you!!!). I couldn't find an exact replica, but I believe I found a necklace that captured its uniqueness and vibrancy.



I selected the gorgeous (albeit pricey) Lauren Manoogian Hexagon Necklace ($125.00, Urban Outfitters). I really thought that this necklace matches that out of place, yet harmonious with look, as well as I thought that the colors went very well with the shoes I picked out.



I chose the Jeffrey Campbell Band Brown Combo Fiesta Woven Wedge ($109.00, Lulu's)

The shoes are only available in a 9.5 at the moment, which is a shame, because I could really use those shoes in my life! LOL

:::drools::: Essence Street-style for Plus Size Fashionistas

My favorite part of Essence Magazine's online home is their Street Style section. Here is where you can find everyday beauties impeccably dressed and oodles of style inspiration to boot. I decided for this week's ::drools:: post, I would take one of my recent favorite looks and try to recreate it , big girl style!!!



This DOPE AS HELL look is courtesy of Street Style: Uptown's Finest and in my humble opinion, it's the best of the bunch!

The dress is from Sika Designs, which apparently is this WONDERFUL ethically-based clothing line in the UK. Unfortunately the dress goes up to a UK Size 14 (Which is about a size 10 in the US).Boooooooo!

In my version of this look, I selected the Rhythmic Pattern Dress by Blue Plate ($49.00, Alight).



It's not a total match, but I think it's bringing a similar type of Global Grooviness!

For the shoes, I went with the Shandee Peep Toe Bootie ($89.06, Zappos).. These booties are dope, I might have to reconsider my no heels rule and get these!!!



The clutch I picked to accompany the shoes is the Big Buddha Cosmopolitan ($44.95, Zappos)



I love the texture of this clutch and I think that it ties together with the dress and shoes!

What do you think? Of course, if there is another look you'd like me to recreate for Plus Size Fashionistas, be sure to drop me a line!!

Racism: Politician Insults First Lady Obama - Essence.com

Racism: Politician Insults First Lady Obama - Essence.com

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This is what is so wrong with racism today. Rusty DePass has the nerve to SWEAR that his comments had nothing whatsoever to do with Michelle Obama's race. He acted as if he was so shocked to hear why people who "misinterpret" him that way... like he didn't know African-Americans were compared and are still being compared to monkeys today.

Despite his backward beliefs, I would respect him so much more if he simply owned up to it. Instead he's proven himself to be not only a racist, but a coward as well.

Evolution, my ass!!!