Its Very Necessary – Page 2 of 7 – Life is simpler when you have the Necessary things...

A Maxi Moment by STAUD

*** This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I will be compensated***

Ok who doesn’t love a good maxi dress. I’m having a total maxi moment in this STAUD dress!!! If you’re fun-sized (short) like me, the length of a maxi dress can be a little scary but I couldn’t help myself with this one. I picked up this beauty at Nordstrom. And this dress was on sale, SALE!!! Speaking of Nordstrom, do you guys want me to do a Nordstrom Annual sale rundown?! It is one of the biggest sales of the year and there are sure to be some good finds. Many of you are holding to your coins and I completely understand that, so if it doesn’t make sense we won’t waste our time, let me know in the comments.

STAUD Maxi Dress

This stunner caught my eye because of the bold and beautiful summer colors. It fits true to size (I purchased a size small), of course it drags the floor a bit, again I’m fun-sized. However I still won’t be getting this tailored. I love the drama of the dress dusting the floor, that’s why God created four inch heels, am I right?! This dress feels like a dream on, the material is light-weight and flowy, perfect for your next social distance brunch or meet up. Unfortunately the dress sold out as soon as I posted it on social media. I’m not saying that was due to me, but I do feel like I helped things along. Fear not, I have some great alternatives, there’s a list at the end of the post.

I added the Gifts from Virgo Butterfly Tennis Necklace to the ensemble to give the look a bit more whimsy. This necklace is definitely giving Mariah Carey butterfly vibes. The butterfly isn’t molded to the necklace so you can remove it and wear the necklace alone; winning!!!

IVN YEAR TWO, THE TERRIBLE TWOS

IVN YEAR TWO, THE TERRIBLE TWOS

What’s life without a little click-bait?! Now that I have your attention I’m thrilled to announce IVN is officially two years old!!! That’s right we’re officially in year two of our journey to fashion icon domination…lol. The last two years have been nothing short of amazing, far from terrible. It hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns that’s for sure. If I’m being completely honest I seriously considered abandoning the blog, especially when the pandemic hit. Earlier in the year I felt like I wasn’t growing fast enough, by all standards (standards I created in my head) I was creating meaningful and visually stunning content, right?! So why am I still in the same place, seemingly. I wasn’t where I wanted to be and that is an army of followers on IG and too many subscribers to count.

But I heard my dad’s voice in my head saying ‘Bonehead’ nothing worth it, comes easy. Don’t misunderstand me I don’t want the easy way in, I thrive on progress. If the needle doesn’t move fast enough, I’m low-key freaking out. The fact is people have access to massive amounts of content, printed and digital and I’m just getting started. While most people see the pretty pictures, the business of influencing is an ACTUAL business. There’s still so much to learn. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon and patience is key. I also had to realize there are so many variables that I can’t control, conversely there are so many I can.

However as soon as I came to that realization the pandemic hits!

I said to myself, whelp there goes my big influencer dream. Honestly, who cares about fashion, travel, and beauty when they just want to keep their families healthy and safe, right?! But I realized a life worth living isn’t merely surviving, it’s thriving. The world can always use a little pretty. I hit the pause button at the beginning of the pandemic but I’ve re-evaluated my WHY- if your WHY doesn’t make you cry, it’s not big enough. The little humans you see in the pictures below are my WHY. I want them to know anything’s possible if you do the work and stay focused.

And I also had to remind myself why I started this journey. I wanted to help people feel confident in their own skin through fashion. Ultimately I wanted to be a trusted resource to as many people as possible. Those may not seem like very lofty goals to some folks, but it’s my WHY. Every time someone DM’s me on Instagram, asking for advice, i.e. can I really trust that brand, how did this work out for you, it makes me so happy! There’s nothing like that “YES I NAILED IT” feeling, it’s so gratifying. It makes all the hard work worth it. And that’s happening a lot these days, like I said, worth it.

Essentially I had to remember who I was and the God I serve.

As long as I put HIM first everything else will fall into place or it won’t. Listening to a little (or a lot) of Beyoncé, the queen of women empowerment, didn’t hurt either. My favorite Bey line, “Imma keep running cause a WINNER don’t quit on themselves” -Freedom, Lemonade the album, do yourselves a favor, give it a listen. And I’m a WINNER BABE!!!

Continue reading “IVN YEAR TWO, THE TERRIBLE TWOS” →

ANDREA IYAMAH SWIM

I’m not sure if you noticed all the black girl magic on my timeline but here’s a little bit more if you’ve been under a rock for the last few weeks. You’re looking at the designer Andrea Iyamah (AI) swimwear from her Butterfly Collection. Swimwear is just a small part of this stylish, chic and so on trend, ready to wear brand. However the Butterfly collection in particular is giving me LIIIIIIIIFE. To be clear this isn’t sponsored post, I purchased every piece with my own coins. I’m infatuated with her swimwear line so expect to see me in one of her ready to wear pieces soon.

ANDREA IYAMAH SWIMWEAR

Funny story, you’re looking at an active golf course, ladies and gents. We decided to shoot this look while visiting my mother and my aunt; they live on a golf course. My aunt suggested we take advantage of the picturesque fairway that’s literally her backyard. The lesson here is listen to your elders. We had to keep our heads on a swivel for stray golf balls and carts. Yes I commandeered the fairway for a photo shoot, anything for the shot right?!

Continue reading “ANDREA IYAMAH SWIM” →

Summer Looks- The Midi Skirt

***This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via my links I will be compensated***

This post is long over due but I wanted to get this one out to you all because some of favorite brands are having huge sales. If you’ve been paying attention (of course you have) I posted most of these pictures on Instagram over a month ago but I failed to give the IVN family the deets. I know I’m terrible. Quite a few brands are in trouble financially, so it’s not a huge surprise we’re seeing steep discounts. We’re taking full advantage over here at IVN. The way I see it, if the world goes back to normal we’ll be the best dressed group around…lol If not we’ll be well dressed for the apocalypse either way I’m not seeing a downside…lol

Summer Midi Skirt Looks

Big surprise one of my favorite silhouettes is the midi-skirt, specifically the pleated midi-skirt. I love the midi-skirt because it’s flattering on just about any body type and more often than not you can dress them up or down depending on your mood.

The summer midi skirt featured below is from J. Crew . Nobody does the midi-skirt better than J. Crew. The shoes are an also J. Crew. J. Crew is one of those brands going through tough financial times, which translates to big savings for us. They’re currently running a 40% off sale on your entire purchase; as of today, I can’t guarantee what tomorrow will bring. This skirt is so much fun because it features a peekaboo stripe, one side of the pleat is pink the other side is white. This skirt can be dressed up or down. I decided on a dressier look. But it can easily be paired with sneakers and a white tee for dressed down look. The color contrast makes twirling in this skirt so much fun. One of friends suggested I wear this look to Whole Foods. While more a Giant/Trader Joe’s kinda gal, I’m strongly considering it.

We had a lot of fun with this next look.

It was a total Mommy and Me moment. We dressed these skirts up with heels and brought them back down with some platform Converse. Sanaa and I are both 5′ 3″ aka fun-sized, so a little height is always nice where we’re concerned.

Dressed Up

Dressed Down

Continue reading “Summer Looks- The Midi Skirt” →

IVN x OCESSORIES- THE WARRIOR COLLECTION

We are thrilled to be a part of Ocessories summer 2020 launch of its newest collection- The Warrior. This collection features some of my favorite designs to date. Each collection is also near and dear to designer Omneisia Evans heart but this line speaks to the warrior spirit inside of every women- the power, strength, beauty and drive. At a time where we could all use a little “pretty” in our worlds this line does that for me. Each set also tells a story and speaks to the very nature of what it means to be a woman; soft yet strong, powerful but gentle, fierce but calm. Oh the duality of being a woman. Women are multi-faceted and this line highlights that in each set.

This launch also features a new addition to the brand, anklets. I had the pleasure of chatting with Omneisia about the line, check out interview below. We talk about the brand, the collection and where Ocessories is headed. In addition, Omneisia is more transparent and intentional about her vision for the brand than ever before. You can view the entire collection below as well as commentary on my favorites. I also have a treat for you guys. Ocessories has created an exclusive discount code for the IVN family. So use the discount code IVNWARRIOR to save some coins at checkout!!!

Ocessories The Warrior Collection Interview

The Palm Print by Janie and Jack

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

THE PALM PRINT BY JANIE AND JACK

Summer is officially here gang! Nothing says summer like palm prints. You know I had to style little miss Laila in Janie and Jack’s Ruffle Strap Palm Print dress. This dress is giving all kinds of sassy fun in the sun. This dress is 100% cotton, which means little ones with sensitive skin don’t have to worry about the “itches”. Laila is one of those children and this dress has received the Laila Beale stamp of approval. This print has matching family styles, meaning if you have an infant, boy, or girl there’s a style in this print for them as well. For all the coordinating mamas this makes life a lot easier.

We decided to shoot at the U.S. National Arboretum. It’s a beautiful little oasis on the edge of D.C. Sadly the arboretum and this dress is probably the closest we’ll get to any kind of a tropical setting this summer.

We paired this dress with the Metallic Strap Sandal .

The sandals complimented the dress quite nicely. These sandals are easy to get on and off. They feature a traditional hole-strap with several notches for growth. I hope we get another summer out of these sandals but the way she keeps growing it’s highly unlikely. They’ll be a very nice hand-me-down to a cousin or friend.

Keep Reading on IVN

BLACK FATHERS EXIST

Hey gang, I hope you all are hanging in there. Quarantine continues to be a rollercoaster of emotions for me and quite frankly I’m ready to get off. Like sir can we please stop the ride I changed my mind. One day everything is “open” the next day, the virus is surging. I don’t even want to get into the non-stop fire works in my neighborhood as soon as the sun sets. Enough already guys. People are just bored, BORED.

On a lighter note, my company has been closed all week for summer break and I can’t express the complete and indescribable joy I’m experiencing right now. I have not been on a Zoom or Microsoft Teams call all week and it feels good. I honestly didn’t want to touch a computer this week but I couldn’t let the week pass without dropping a little bit of this black boy joy in your laps.

BLACK FATHERS EXIST

Say hello to Raoul (my dear friend and husband to my bff Amanda) and Ricardo (my husband, you’ve seen him before)! Neither one of these men are even close to being Hispanic but their names are. We laugh about this all the time because people always assume they are Hispanic. But boy are they surprised when they first meet either of them…lol What’s important about these two aren’t their names. It’s what they do and who they are. Aside from my father, these guys are two of the hardest working, loving, caring, and dependable fathers I know. Bubba (Raoul’s nickname) is a police officer in D.C. and Ricardo is a field tech with Century Link (a tele-com company).

Keep Reading on IVN

MASK ON

Hey gang. I hope everyone is doing well. I’m at the beach, kid-less and husband-less, yassssss. I felt a tiny morsel of guilt and I do mean tiny, leaving them behind but this trip was very necessary (pun intended) if we’re going to make it through the summer. I think it’s fair to say we all need a break from each other. In fact, the next trip will be something fun for them. With most of the fun places closed it should be interesting what we come up with, especially because almost every where you would want to go, requires you wear a mask. But if you’re going to wear a mask, make it fashion!! Smooth transition right?!

Fashionable Face Mask

Let me just say I wear a verified K-95 mask whenever I’m in highly populated areas, so yes I’m referring to the grocery store, otherwise I opt for something a little more stylish. I found exactly what I was looking for in CandyCreationsBling. The mask featured is a custom CandyCreationsBling piece; Candace Chesnut on Facebook. Candace is actually a family friend. Short story, my sister Shana was on the hunt for a fashionable face mask for an up coming celebration. She reached out to a few designers and soon learned of Candace’s amazing pieces. She had a pearl mask made, similar to the photos below.

The finished product was stunning, so you know I had to have one made also. I opted for the all black crystal mask. My mask features two crystal hearts as well, cause I’m all about the love. These mask are handmade, to-order, and can be customized to your liking. The mask also includes a mesh insert that you can remove and wash as needed. Candace can embellish just about anything you can think of, not just face mask. Sooooooo, I say all that to say, get yourself one or pick up one for your fashionable friend. A million things have been canceled this year, but cute has not been cancelled.

Stay tuned for some mommy and me fun. Sanaa and I are going to give you some super cute midi skirt looks for the summer.

HALOGEN X ATLANTIC PACIFIC

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to my Amazon store. If you use my links to shop (please do) I will receive a commission.

Hey gang! The mini-me and I snuck out of the house for a little social-distancing photo shoot so we could debut our prettiest Mommy & Me look yet. It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Blair Eadie. She speaks to my soul with her bright, cheerful, yet ultra chic style. If high fashion and a rainbow had a baby, that’s Blair. I’m sporting a dress from her latest collaboration with Halogen X Atlantic- Pacific. Halogen is one of Nordstrom’s top selling ready to wear brands. It’s also become one of my favorite brands outside of it’s collaborations with Ms. Blair.

HALOGEN X ATLANTIC PACIFIC

It’s all about the strips for me. Do I look like a summer day walking or nah?! I think so. About the dress, it’s sheer and light-weight. The dress comes with a removeable slip, a sign of a pretty well thought out garment. I wore undergarments that were very close in color to the slip so it blended seamlessly. I’d advise you to wear nude undergarments with this one; better safe than sorry. This garment definitely has some room for growth; it’s very forgiving. The only con in my opinion is that the dress get a case of the wrinkles earlier on; which is true of most pieces made with organza. Not a real deterrent for me as they are hardly noticeable but if you are a neat freak it may bother you. Either way you’ve been advised.

Keep Reading on IVN

HEAT FREE HAIR

Hey gang! I hope everyone is hanging in there! I know this quarantine is wearing us all out. But rest assured this will all come to an end, one way or another. Take solace in knowing everything that has a beginning, has an end. During all of this I’ve tried to maintain some sense of normalcy. One of the things I’ve had to figure out is my HAIR. Natural girl hair (no chemical processes on hair, i.e. chemical relaxers or straightening agents) requires a bit of work. To be honest most days I don’t even bother but there is an occasional Zoom happy hour I try to look decent for. My newest go to look and protective style (styles that promote growth, low stress on hair shaft) is my drawstring ponytail extension from Heat Free Hair.

18″ Everyday full Drawstring ponytail

HEAT FREE HAIR

Heat Free Hair has been on my radar for a while. They were a featured vendor at a panel discussion organized by the black professional network at my firm. The discussion was about women of color and their hair journey in the professional setting; we dubbed it “My Hair Story”. Various women at the firm shared their “hair stories” with the audience via pre-recorded interviews. We then opened it up to the audience for a Q&A. It was a riveting, open, and refreshingly transparent conversation. Women of color have had to contend with a considerable amount of frustration and anxiety in the corporate world when it comes to the their hair.

I was so proud of my firm for supporting this event from creation to execution. It’s a very delicate subject but we were able to be authentic, vulnerable, and informative; we kinda nailed it if I do say so myself.

Keep reading on IVN