Fly

Music for Your Weekend: Zuzuka Poderosa

The first time I heard baile funk was outside of a Mangueira samba school party in a Rio de Janeiro favela. The tourists and some locals were dancing and partying it up to classic carnival sounds inside, while the teenagers from the neighborhood, who either couldn't afford to pay the $20 cover or just weren't interested, were making their own party outside the venue. The music they were "grinding" to is called baile funk, a mix of old school hip hop beats, Miami Bass and 80's electro-pop sounds. The lyrics are sometimes raunchy and the beats are always captivating.

Lately, I've been jammin' to the baile funk sounds of Brazilian-Indonesia musician, Zuzuka Poderosa. Her music takes me back to that late summer night in Rio where I made my way outside to learn some baile funk dances from the local teens.

Check out Zuzuka Poderosa's SoundCloud and let me know what you think. Have a fab weekend!

Esperanza Spalding in Austin

Esperanza Spalding takes Elle.com on a tour of her new hometown of Austin, Texas. I saw the feature in the print version of the magazine but you can see a few images of her favorite spots throughout the city right here. (The print version of Elle shows more of Esperanza styled in cute outfits, definitely check that out as well.)

Ooshirts + I Love My Hair Giveaway

When a rep from Ooshirts (a new t-shirt printing company) reached out to me about sponsoring a giveaway on Fly, I was totally intrigued. They offered to print a small run of tees for free featuring any design I wanted. I could then use the tees as I wished. I've been wanting to see how other designs from the I Love My Hair collection would print so I thought it would be great to have some t-shirt samples printed with the Kinky Coily Curly design. And then give them away!

Ooshirts printed five Kinky Coily Curly tees: 2 mediums, 2 larges, and 1 x-large. These samples were digitally printed, and because they are samples there are some tiny imperfections. The 100% cotton tees are fitted, but fit pretty true to size. If you'd like a Kinky Coily Curly tee here's how to enter for a chance to win:

Email me your size before 12 Noon (EST) on Friday July 29th. Five winners will be selected based on who emails me first and if their size is still available. You will only receive a response if you are a winner. Email flygirlblog[at]aol[dot]com.

**Please note, this is for US residents only (sorry, to my international readers).
**Please enter once.
**Contest ends  Friday July 29th 5pm EST

Good luck!

UPDATE: Contest Closed as of 2:57 PM Thursday - All shirts are gone! Thanks so much for your emails!

A big thanks to Ooshirts for the giveaway sponsorship.

Prints and Patterns

Great prints from textile designer Joanna Fowles. Link via seesaw.

Color that Dangles

These candy-like pieces from not Tuesday are so sweet. I love the names, like "not quite round" and "not quite flat" for the perfectly imperfect beads in delicious colors.

Autumn Adeigbo Fall 2011

Latest looks from Autumn Adeigbo's Fall 2011 collection. See more here and check out her Fly feature here.

An Indian Wedding

Admiring the rich colors in these gorgeous photographs of an Indian wedding by Karen Wise. See more images from this beautiful wedding on Karen's Flickr page and here.

Voz Clothing and Art

Wooden accessories hand-painted with brightly colored geometric patterns, all from Voz Clothing and Art.

Fly Notebook Giveaway Winners

Hello fabulous people! Thanks for entering the Fly Notebook Giveaway. Thank you for leaving your warm comments about the notebooks. The winners were randomly selected using random.org and the numbers generated were 17, 38, 54. So the winners are Oni, Ashleya, and Amy S. Thanks again!

Sunday at a Fashion Mixer

Sunday I headed over to the Lamont Bishop Gallery for ReadySetDC's fashion:district summer mixer with Butler + Claypool (a vintage clothing and accessories collective). It was a lovely time checking out the wares but even more fun minglying and meeting some really cool people. Between snapping photos, I was there for hours chatting it up with folk talking about things to do in the city, sharing ideas and listening to other creatives talk about their work.

I also loved seeing a mix of prints and patterns people were rocking and others that were being sold.

Big shout out to all the folks I met, like Nate (of clothing brand, Somaphony) and Nina (both rocking cool hats). It was so great talking and laughing with them.

It was a great time!

What did you get into over the weekend? Meet any cool people? See cool fashion and styling? Do share.

Sister Batik

Loving these gorgeous decorative home accessories from Sister Batik.

Music for Your Weekend: Afropop Mix

Looking for some cool music to jam to over the weekend? Then download Afropop's July Mix 2011 featuring dope artists inspired by the rhythms and sounds from the African continent. Download the mixtape for free here and be sure to check out the Afropop blog. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Jammin' to Cibelle

Right now I'm listening to the eclectic flavor of Brazilian singer/musician (and visual artist), Cibelle's Las Venus Resort Palace Hotel album. The mix of classic bossa nova, psychedelic rock, and a hint of folky flair makes her sound hard to define; and super fun to listen to.

What's Happening

A few fun happenings this weekend in various cities! Feel free to share what's going on in your town in the comment box.

THURSDAY, JULY 21
Electric Relaxation: Sunset By The Pool
Every Thursday thru August 31st
7:00 pm - 12:00 am
21+  Cover: FREE
DJ Adrian Loving spins by a rooftop pool at the Liason Hotel. How refreshing!
Washington, DC

Washington Sound Museum at the Kennedy Center
5:30 pm -7 pm
Progressive hip hop artist Christylez Bacon performs on the Millenium Stage. Get there early for the tea ceremony just before the performance at 6 pm.
Washington, DC

Dandy Lion Photography Exhibit Opening Reception
The Museum Of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Highlighting photography celebrating the urban gentleman. Expect to see work from Jamala Johns (of lecoil), Kwesi Abbensetts, and Laylah Amatullah Barrayn (and many more).
Click here for more info.
Brooklyn, NY

FRIDAY, JULY 22
National Gallery of Art: Jazz in the Garden
Every Friday May 27 - Septemeber 9
5:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Bring a blanket and some friends to this week's feature, afro-funk musician Elikeh from Togo.
Click here for details.
Washington, DC

World Cafe Live: Alô Brasil
This annual event celebrates Brazilian culture through costume, dance and music.
Doors open @ 9:30 pm
Get your tickets here.
Philadelphia, PA

SATURDAY, JULY 23
Corcoran Gallery of Art Chris Martin: Painting Big
It's going to be hot outside so why not keep it cool at this exhibition highlighting the large-scale abstract collage paintings from artist Chris Martin. (There's an exhibit lecture happening on Saturday but it's sold out.)
Washington, DC

Market at the Piazza
Weekly market featuring local artisans.
Noon - 7 pm
Click here for details.
Philadelphia, PA

SUNDAY, JULY 24
fashion:district + Butler & Claypool
Vintage finds, cocktails, and live music come together for a fun fashion event.
1 pm - 7pm
Lamont Bishop Gallery
1314 9th Street NW
Click here for more info.
Washington, DC

Wiz Khalifa
Rapper Wiz Khalifa performs at the Merriweather Post Pavilion for his Rolling Papers World Tour.
Doors open @ 3:30pm
Get your tickets here.
Baltimore, MD

Sundae Sermon
Michaela Angela Davis hosts an afternoon of family fun with music and dance in Harlem. DJ Beverly Bond and DJ Kamala among others will be spinning, so bring a picnic basket and a blanket and get ready to chillax.
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm • Free
Morningside Park
Email info@sundaesermon.com for more info or click here for details.
New York, NY

 

A Merry Mishap Jewelry

Chunks of color and pebbly beads in the form of jewelry from A Merry Mishap.