My day was a bit strange………….made me think to myself, “hmmmmmmm”.

I had to run for the train this morning, run for the train this evening, make repeated edits to the same document, have unusual conversations with two strangers – on separate occasions, listen to the latest on a much discussed conspiracy theory………like I said, it was a bit strange. Had a "Twilight Zone" vibe.   I also had a session with a personal trainer at the gym, which was intense – I’m difficult, when it comes to working out –  really difficult, and I do NOT like to sweat. My session felt like the longest hour in history!! I Hated my trainer!! and he just kept pushing me. After the work-out, he stretched me and gave me an amazing massage - suddenly he was my best friend!

Also on the positive side tip, I gave a lot of compliments – it just seemed as if everyone was wearing something that I liked!!

Ms. Aikasha  is wearing a Walter cold shoulder silk animal print dress, Chloe white scalloped edge high heel peep toe sandals and carrying her Cole Haan large wicker bag with lime green leather trim. Accessories include large mobe pearl earrings, mother of pearl pendant, Michael Kors tortoise shell watch, and an assortment of black bangles.

Note: It's nice to receive compliments. It's even nicer to give a compliment. Think about how good it makes you feel when you're complimented...........reciprocate people!!

Tip: I highly recommend investing in a good strapless bra. It makes the world of difference how a strapless, one shouldered, cut-out, or spaghetti strap dress/top appear.

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I made a concerted effort to get some sleep last night, was in bed by 11:30pm, and finally got a good night’s rest. When I got up this morning I felt tons better than I’d been feeling these past two weeks – which was definitely a good thing.

It was a little cool this morning, but the breeze was sooooo refreshing. Reminded me of being in the mountains. The breeze influenced today's outfit.

 

Ms. Aikasha is wearing an Oltre white cotton tonal striped trouser suit, MadRag black and grey striped tube top, Dereon (Beyonce) silver grey leather strappy sandals with mirrored stilletto heel, and Cole Haan large wicker tote with lime green leather trim. Accessories include multiple silver bangles, Michael Kors silver and mirrored sunglasses, and pearl/silver earrings.

Tip: Just the way the pockets are visible through white trousers, so will your panties be. I recommend a thong, or boy shorts that are very similiar to your skin tone - then your undies will be undetected.

TipII: The 'booty shot' affirms the above proven theory.

Note: Though I don't usually adhere to standard do's and don'ts of fashion - ie: no white after Labor Day; no white before Memorial Day, etc., I felt compelled to wear this white suit, or else I'd have to wait 'til next year!

Note II: The silver buttons on this suit definitely influenced me to opt for silver jewellry. Seems a bit obvious - right??? but not always.

 I tend to “push the limit”………to the extreme! Since my Atlanta trip, I’ve rarely made it to bed before 2:00am even though I’m up at 6:30am every morning…….going, and going, and going………..just like the energizer bunny.

The days are shorter, the evenings are cooler and I still haven’t worn all my sun dresses – "No, No Bueno!!"

I'm in a mad rush right now to wear as many of my unworn summer clothes before it gets too cold to justify..........and I'll try really hard to justify :)                                       

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Perry Ellis yellow silk/cotton blend satin spaghetti strap dress, L.A.M.B (by Gwen Stefani) yellow peep toe/t-strap platform sandals, and Miu Miu white “coffer” handbag. Yellow flutter drop earrings, oodles of yellow/black/gold bangles, and black Gucci shades complete this super summer look.                                  

 

Note: Every time I wear this dress to work, someone asks if I'm going dancing. Just for the record, my "dancing dresses" are considerably shorter than this!!

 

Happy, happy Monday. What a weekend!

I’d mentioned that I was making a dress for an upcoming event. Well, the event was yesterday – Sun Aug 26^th – and wow!........what an event. Our annual cookout – for family and our closest friends.



The event dress. An original Ms. Aikasha halter dress.
My daughter Z, gave me this traditional African print fabric for my birthday - .

 

 We (as in my seven daughters and I) shut down the block, and provided food and libation for about 120 people. The menu was extensive: jerk chicken, jerk veggie chicken, grilled whole fish, baked mac & cheese, rice & peas, curried rice & peas, baked ziti, stir fried veggies, potato salad, hot dogs, veggie hot dogs, burgers, veggie burgers, grilled corn-on-the-cob, fruit salad, carrot cake, chocolate cup-cakes, lemon cream cheese pound cake, rum cake, chocolate chip cookies, chips & dip, fruit salad, red and white wine, and the gents provided all the juice, beer andliquor. 

The kids were free to run and ride up and down the street unencumbered and the dj blasted the best music while everyone who wanted to, danced, played cards, and just ate to their hearts content.

After all was said and done, everyone had an absolute blast and our last guests finally left at around 2:00am. Needless to say, my house was a wreck and no matter how many dishes I washed, it seemed I wasn’t making a dent!

I could barely get out of bed this morning and grabbed the first dress that I could get away with not ironing.

Why the back story? I have to justify the poor quality of tonight’s pictures. I got home from work at 7pm, ripped my clothes off and slumped onto my bed. I was exhausted!.....worn out from yesterday, and I couldn’t sleep. After about an hour, it dawned on me – I didn’t take my blog pics and it was way past dark. I had to get dressed, again.                                        Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Nicky B. sheer silk beige/black sundress with braided straps, Patrizia Pepe black suede ankle wrap/kitten heel sandals and Miu Miu white “coffer” handbag. Pearl/gold shoulder duster earrings and beige/black bangles finish off the look.                                           

 

I’m thinking it’s probably best not to mention how long ago I made certain of my pieces. On one hand it can make the item appear ‘timeless’. On the other hand, the item could just seem old!
I think I was channeling the “Little Girl” in me when I made this dress. I mean, I love, Love, LOVE ruffles and bows and sashes and lace and all the girlie stuff!


 But, I didn't want the dress to look like children's wear. The grey chambray fabric, I thought was perfect - being lightweight and flowy, yet still mature.

Ms. Aikasha is wearing an original Ms. Aikasha grey chambray hooded swing dress, Boutique 9  pale pink cut-out sandals and Michael Kors pale pink bag. Accessories include, multi colored glass/silver necklace, hematite and ruby necklace, silver drop ball earrings, Banana Republic silver cuff.

 Tip: as mentioned in a previous post, watch out for the gust of wind when wearing a 'swing' cut dress/skirt - it can be very very revealing.

Note: I pondered what color shoes/bag to wear with this dress. In the past I've worn red, silver, or black. Even though today's  choice is neutral, and the dress is sorta neutral, I think it works.

When I started working for my current employer about 4 ½ years ago, a part of my hire package was a gym membership. Nice, right? I’m a swimmer and needed a pool and as God would have it, the gym next door to my building was fully equipped, pool and all! I would swim three times a week and my body was looking good.                                                                      Well, the company has grown, brought new partners on board and the policy has changed – no more gym membership for mama!! L……and I’m not in the position to fork out $1,500 for one. So, along comes Living Social, selling a month for $60.00. I swam today, and will be swimming for the next 29 days J yay me!!

 

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Vivianne Tam red knit, shawl collar dress, BCBG Max Azria red suede/pale leather ankle wrap sandals and Michael Kors pale leather handbag. Banana Republic large silver cuff, Betsey Johnson silver shoulder duster earrings and black Gucci sunglasses complete the look. 

Note: Red can be "funny". there's so many variations and, as you can see, I'm definitely wearing two of them (shoes vv dress). I got away with it though :)                 

 

A couple weeks back I mentioned our missing camera - it's still missing! So, last week, I made a trek to Best Buy to invest in a new one. And I did – a Sony Cyber shot – 16 mega pixel, 10x zoom, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc.

I’m not the savviest with the high tech digital equipment – which I made very clear to the sales person – but she insisted that this camera was the one,  “…….easy to use, perfect for what I needed it for”.

Since I bought it, I have had the hardest, most repetitious, non-productive time, just trying to load my pictures – it’s a mess! Needless to say – I’ll be returning it my next trip to the store.

Ms. Aikasha is wearing white/gold striped knit, racerback dress, Flavio Castellini gold silk shrug, Miu Miu  white leather Coffer bag, and Brian Atwood black leather ankle wrap sandals. Matching bangles and mini pearl earrings tie the whole look together

Note: This white/gold outfit turned a lot of heads got me a ton of compliments today - which is always nice - thanx to "UnderWhere?" body shaper I pulled if off, effortlessly.

Note II: the tag in this dress was irritating so I cut it out! As much as I love the dress, I have no idea what brand it is!



It’s one of those days that I don’t have much to say – can you believe that? It’s true. I’ve got an upcoming event this weekend that I’m making a new dress for, and I haven’t even started yet! Add that to my crazy schedule……ouch!!

So, I’ll be brief.

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a beige Motivi walking shorts suit, Fuzzi sheer nylon double layer tank top, Hale Bob green argyle print pony hair/brown ‘croc’ leather mules, and Coach wicker/leather/snakeskin limited edition “Bonnie” handbag. Accessories include a brown leather necklace with green glass beads, 22 karat gold hoop earrings, large green acrylic bangle and Cynthia Rowley green sunglasses

Note: ok - so the suit is beige (which can translate to safe, boring, etc), but I think the cut of this suit is pretty amazing and pretty much speaks for itself.                                                                                     


Tip: to subtly pick up on the green in the bag, the Hale Bob mules are green argyle ponyhair, and the necklace is also green.

Hey, Hey!

After a 2 ½ week holiday, it was time to go back to work. I thought I would dread the idea of getting up this morning, but it really wasn’t that bad…….at all! I caught the 7:00am train, was in the office by 7:45am and I got right to it.

Just to back up a bit though, my last holiday weekend (Fri Aug 17 – Sun Aug 19) was amazing!! My girlfriend invited me to attend the Major League Baseball Civil Rights games and numerous associated events in Atlanta. When I say invited, I mean VIP status at the highest level: attending the roundtable discussion, which was highly informative and so provocative; VIP receptions; watching both games(Dodgers / Braves) Friday and Saturday evening, from the “box”; attending the Beacon Awards ceremony and luncheon with celebrity performers and recipients, etc., etc., etc.


Needless to say, I dressed for the part, however I didn't have my son or daughter to take my blog pics,(but, professional pictures of my various outfits at these events are hopefully on the way – I’m keeping my fingers crossed’).

Ms. Aikasha is wearing an original Ms. Aikasha blue linen short sleeve dress with Mark and James blue peep-toe suede sling-back platform sandals and Coachwicker/leather/snakeskin limited edition “Bonnie” handbag. Carino Lamborghini cream shades, a mix of coordinating bangles and Roberto Cavalli large silver watch with brown alligator strap complete today's outfit

Note: I made this dress about 10 years ago during a time I was struggling to make ends meet, so I would moonlight as a seamstress when I wasn't working my day job. The solid blue linen part of the dress was leftover fabric from a client's custom outfit. The multi colored hem is scraps from the hem of two pairs of trousers I had shortened for my eldest son. And.......Voila! The shoes are the exact same color as the dress - I just got them 2 summers ago - who'd have thought.........right??










Tip: as nice as it is to coordinate - it's never neccessary to "match" from head to toe which can be so predictable and a bit boring - hence the green handbag. The coloring of the green bag  is in the same muted family as the blue dress, so this "ties" the outfit together with a bit of interest - it's less obvious.

Note II: I know it's a lot of pictures today, but I was just really happy with them! :)

Hola!

It’s been a while….right? I’ve been “busy” enjoying my time off, while also trying to get organized on the homefront. I have a terrible procrastination problem, not because I’m lazy in any form or fashion, but I  tend to put certain things off while I’m handling the gazillion other things that at that moment I’ve chosen to prioritize. This "momentary priority" could actually really, honestly, and truly be important…………or not.

I took care of soooooo many things today and throughout the day I “meant to” take my blog pic. I finally took it at 10:30pm……..(ouch!) and it was so beautiful earlier!  An absolutely ‘picture perfect day’! So, here we go again with my entrance foyer as my backdrop. Note to self: I will do better J.  My plant (behind me in the shot) is not doing well at all, so I’m not happy and a bit clueless how to restore it to its original splendor – and it was truly splendid…………so, something else to handle..........

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Joseph A.  black silk shrug, (unknown brand) black cotton knit embellished halter, an original Ms. Aikasha denim/lacey drop waist maxi skirt, Kelsi Dagger blue/pewter thong leather sandals and Diesel red canvas/leather/rope bag. The outfit is accessorized by large chain link shoulder duster earrings

Tip: I love designer clothes and popular name brands, but I also love brands I've never heard of, and pieces from the everyday local or department store. Combining the major designer/brand name skirt/trousers with an obscure or "no name" top and looking amazing?priceless!!

 Note: that red bag really "pops" - doesn't it?

 

Ahhhh! The Jersey Shore!!  It’s really not so bad – honestly!

Since my family is so large, and we usually invite a few friends, there’s usually a “caravan” of up to seven vehicles, chock full of  folks, heading to the beach together – it’s an event in itself which usually takes a couple weeks planning. Today, however, my daughter Ny, (also today’s photographer) myself, and just a small subset of the fam decided to hit the beach – and we had a tremendous time!! The sun was hot, the water was just right, and the waves were absolutely perfect!

  Ms. Aikasha is wearing Juicy Couture black one piece halter bathing suit, and Scala Collezione orange paper and nylon sun hat. Cynthia Rowley orange shades, her summertime favorite Swiss Legend white porcelain watch, and orange bangles, accessorize today’s look.

Tip: Personally, I don’t think everybody should wear a bikini – but that’s just me. I’ve gained the “stripes” of childbearing – Stretch Marks – and prefer to keep my battle scars to myself! There are sooooo many options available: monokini, tankini, strapless, one shoulder, or halter one piece suits, and they’re just as fabulous.

Tip II: Don’t be shy with the sunscreen it’s a necessity in our ozone depleted society. So many options are now available. We no longer have to wear the old school white paste that refused to ‘rub in’. Banana Boat has a fantastic product that is completely clear and has a SPF of 50.

 Hey there!

I kinda, sort of, wasn’t planning to post today, so much so that I didn’t get my picture taken until really, really late. However, as if subconsciously I felt a little void that needed to be filled, so here I am. My 13 year old son has misplaced the camera (again), and it hasn’t shown up since Saturday, so Miss Alosha, my 19 year old daughter, saved the day (or rather, the night) and used her phone, forgive me for the poor picture quality................
As I mentioned a while back, I dove in head first with this blog, and hadn’t really taken the time to educate myself about the “blog world”. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t completely oblivious, but I’m definitely no wiz on the subject. So, today, I took the time to check out a few blogs, and WOW!! I was Amazed!!!

Before I knew it, three hours had passed and I hadn’t even put a dent in the numerous lists on various topics, on fashion, lifestyle, beauty, that I was interested in – it was a bit overwhelming! I had to make a conscious decision to just STOP. I abruptly turned off my computer. My head still whirling, I grabbed my handbag and left the house so I could run a few errands and clear my head. I realized - I have a lot to learn!!

Ms. Aikasha is wearing a Fubu white smocked and layered ruffle top, R.F Premium Denim Collection orange shorts, Beverly Feldman white jeweled thong kitten heel mules, and Cole Haan large wicker bag with lime green leather trim. Swiss Legend white porcelain watch, pearl drop earrings, mother of pearl pendant necklace, and four coordinating orange/white bangles tie the whole look together.

Tip: When wearing really short shorts or mini skirt, I recommend a top that's not so fitted. Baby doll, oversized, or trapeze cut works nicely and the outfit appears less provocative.

Note: These shorts are really, really short - sometimes I tend toward daring......just a little :)