Summer Vibez

Bandeau Tops

Yes, bandeau tops are essentially a sliver of fabric that covers nothing but the chest but I happen to think that they are the best thing since sliced bread mainly because it gives enough support for one to go bra less. Bandeau tops does , however , tread the very fine line between sexy yet tasteful and just overexposed so I would recommend that if you are wearing a bandeau top opt for loose fitting high waist trousers and longer lengths in skirts for balance. 

Call me daring but I think bandeau tops can be worn on a date , to the movies , out for drinks , for lunch etc. I wore a red bandeau top with a vintage wrap skirt to dinner in Ocho Rios over the weekend and a white one with a vintage African print circle skirt to lunch about 2 months ago. Well , technically my version of the "bandeau top" isn't the real thing , they are actually swim wear posing as bandeau tops but I'm just resourceful like that. For the real deal view Prada's Spring 2012 collection as Miuccia gave tons of styling ideas for the bra less goodness known as bandeau tops.

The Hunting Game

Recently I read an article about men and their natural nature of hunting and catching with most times no serious intentions of keeping. I took the liberty to expound on the topic because really , I'm so tired of hearing women rant about men that pull a complete 180 on them after the naughty deed is done. I'm talking about the type of men that are so amazing in the beginning but then start behaving like they got no Godt damn sense when they are sliced a piece. Like , what happened bruh? Did we literally ride the senses out of your brain? Or was it all a hunt , catch , release game?

Let me switch it around for you guys so you understand exactly what I mean. Imagine 3 months after marrying the lady of your dreams she suddenly quits her high profile job , parties every night with her crew of so called baddies and starts eating like a farmer's horse and gains 50 pounds. I'm certain you would be like " what in the cotton picking hell is going on here?" Well , that's exactly how it hits us like a speeding JUTC bus when you pull a complete 180.

Gentlemen , for God's sake just be genuine! The same tune you were singing in the beginning , sing it to the very end. The things you did when you were "hunting" your woman or rather "wooing" her continue to do it when you have her. However , if you know deep down that are not ready for a real , genuine , substantial relationship then lef people good decent gyal pickney alone and go find your selfish rass a slam bam thank you maam! If you know a female is not your type , just be straight up about it , even if it may hurt her feelings , give her the option to decide whether or not she still wants to smash and catch feelings or bounce because whatever the outcome is you are in the clear as the relations was never formed under false pretenses.

You see , what you guys fail to realize is that while you are playing your fourth form "hunt , catch and release" games you are also creating an army of women with tongues sharper than a sword that's ready to go off with your head once the slightest sign of bullshit is detected. Sadly , whats even worse is that this behavior is causing women to become so scared to death of getting "caught" that they completely miss the hook of the right one altogether.

Ladies and gents I may have my whole analogy twisted , do you believe that "genuity" is owed to us or do we owe it to ourselves to develop the skill to decipher between the genuine and the China made aka the non genuine aka the fucking fake. What are you thoughts on this? I am always open to opinions.

As the battle of the sexes continues ...

For the ones that don't read my posts but is just here for the outfit inspo , because this is after all a fashion blog , I thought I would post some pics of me wearing a tiger print swimsuit/bodysuit (since we on the top of hunting and what not) worn with a plaid shirt. Just a lil mixed print action from the last time I was in Florida and my girlfriend and I went to get ice-cream before heading to the airport.

Experimentin'

I packed my weekend bag with 3 articles of  clothing which I was planning to wear over 2 - 3 days in Portland last weekend. Well , I got all dressed for a weekend get away that didn't happen and pretty much spent the rest of my Saturday evening experimenting with these prints. 

By the way , I don't think I like the last combination either but you know what , if I took the time out to take the pics , I'll post it because I don't always get it right and I'm cool with that. If you are new to this blog then let me declare that around these parts you are guaranteed to see the good , the bad and the frigging ugly.

Basic Blogging Tools / Saturday Mawnin' Chores

I receive numerous messages via social media from persons that want to start a blog and would like to know the type of camera I use , what I use to edit my photos and the name of my photographer. First of all , guys I don't have a professional photographer following me around , I would go completely broke if I did. 99.9% of the photos on my blog was taken by my uncle , sister , brother , nephew , cousins , friends, mother , father , random innocent bystanders on the street and pretty much anyone that can hold a camera. The reason my photos look so professional and photo shoot-like is because I have a good camera , that's all.  With that said , I'm sure it has become crystal clear that if you are interested in blogging you are going to need a good DSLR camera for beautiful high quality images.


Photography & Equipment

Professional DSLR cameras can get very expensive so if you are on a tight budget I would recommend a camera like mine , the Nikon D5200. I bought this camera about 3 years ago for about $1000 US but now you can get it for as low as $500 US on amazon,com or you can check out the "Photographic , Tech Sales" group on Facebook. What you will actually need to splurge a bit on are the lenses which really does the work for the camera and guarantees you clean , beautiful , professional looking images ,  I use the Nikon 35 mm 1.8 G and Nikon 50 mm 1.4 G lenses. A tripod would also be a great and handy piece of equipment to have if you don't always have someone to take your photos for you. Flashes and some of the gadgets real photographers use are good extras to have, however , they are not necessary if you always take photos when you have good natural light.

Technology

Without a doubt you are going to need a laptop / desktop to load and edit your photos on. Mac laptops are highly recommended by professional photographers , however , after ants swarmed and destroyed my Mac-book a couple years ago I decided that I wasn't going to splurge on another Mac. I currently use a HP Envy Laptop which manages to hold thousands of large photo files as well as the photo editing tools and still run quickly. Ipads and Iphones etc. are also good extras to have for you to blog on the go and keep up with your readers.

Editing Tools 

I use Abode Photoshop Light-room 5 to adjust the colour , tint and contrast of the images , Adobe Adobe Photoshop CS5 if I feel like cleaning up blemishes and my other skin flaws and occasionally Pixlr.com for the retro filters.

I am by no means a photographer , however ,  I have a creative mind and over the years photography has been one of the ways I channel my creativity (even when I had a little dibbie dibbie Sony digital camera). In fact , this blog has become a place for me to release my creative energy and believe it or not I find it kind of therapeutic given that what I do on a daily basis to pay the bills doesn't allow me to be creative at all.

One of the concepts that I always thought would make an interesting editorial magazine spread is that of a Jamaican/Cuban "country" girl doing typical Saturday morning chores while clad in semi glamorous , semi sexy attire. Well , since I'm not a famous fashion magazine editor or a famous model with famous photographer friends ; I enlisted my sister , my Nikon D5200 camera and the 50 mm 1.4 G lens , Light-room and Pixlr.com to make this imagery come to life.

Cuban Dreams

Guys , I just came back from Cuba and it was the most epic and life changing trip of my life. My love and I went on a excursion through the city of Havana that took us through over 100 years of Cuba's rich history. During the days we played baseball in the streets with the locals and hiked through the forest land to forgotten places. At night we tried out different Cuban restaurants and then bubble and wine the rest of the night away to Cuban music in the clubs. We were having so much fun that we didn't even take many pictures , just these.

Oh please! It was just EITS Restaurant in Blue Mountain Jamaica that I took my Dad for a quiet birthday dinner about 8 weeks ago. Though I've never been to Cuba there was something about that restaurant that reminded me of Cuba or rather what I imagine Cuba to be like ; very rustic in design and architecture , charmingly vintage and vibrant in colour and art, I've always had a thing for Cuba and its culture and fashion so much so that I was dressing like a lil Cuban chica all Summer 2014. I think this year I'm going to start putting away some funds each month so on the big 30 I can jet set the hell up outta here and land somewhere on a Cuban beach , hopefully with a "bae".

The attire for the father daughter dinner was nothing too special , just a vintage multicolored skirt I bought in Atlanta and a halter top I got from my vintage clothes dealer in Jamaica. Truth be told , I should have probably gone with option 1 ; a plain white T -shirt with this loud ass skirt but as usual the option that doesn't require a bra always prevail.

Escape Sundays: The All White Edition

About 2 months ago I went to an event in Atlanta called Escape Sundays: The Glow Edition. Upon entering the event I instantly recognized that the organizers put a lot of thought into the execution as the grounds and the glow in the dark decor was pristine , the food was quite flavorful and scrumptious and Revolution Sound and all the other DJ's of the night were so on point. That night I literally bubble and wine all night until my waistline was tired , overall my experience at Escape Sundays was epic.

Now , the Escape Sundays: All White Edition is this Sunday and I thought had to fill in my Atlanta readers on this "must attend" event and more importantly help out with the outfit selection so that you guys will look radiant for the day/night.

Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Sleek & Tailored
Literally go all white with a head to toe white ensemble , a well tailored suit or jumpsuit in all white with white heels would be just right. To compliment I would recommend a slicked back hair do , a dark plum lip color and little to no jewelry. I also imagine a white high waist trousers , simple (or even fancy) button down sheer shirt with shades and a super wide brimmed fedora hat would be quite fitting for this day to night party.

So Feminine
White is very pure , innocent and feminine. If you are in the mood for a subtle , sexy , feminine vibe a white lacy baby doll dress or a lacy sheer top and shirt/shorts/trousers combination worn with nude heels , silver or gold and gold/ silver jewelry is quite perfect.

Tailored meets Subtle Sexy
The point at which tailored and suited shapes meets soft and feminine silhouettes is the "subtle tailored sexy". A slightly over-sized men's suit shirt cut into a cropped top with a high waist pencil skirt is just the right amount of sexy while still appearing sharp and crisp.

Whichever option you decide to go with make sure that it compliments your body and makes you feel comfortable and confident. Tag me on Instagram @_thalia_marie or you can send me pics if you like (whitefur1@hotmail.com) , I would love to see what you guys came up with. Also , follow the Escape Sunday Instagram page (@escapesundays) for more details on the event. Enjoy yourselves tomorrow lil darlings!