Fly

First Day Outfit

Yesterday was the first day of school and yes, just like the days of grade school I pondered on what to wear. I wanted to do something very simple; classic professor-ish (blazer, especially for the freezing classroom) with a casual flair (jeans!).

1. Blazer - My blazer is a thrift find, but the above is from Topshop. 2. Jewelry - there's a lot of black and white in this outfit (which I love, but it needed a pop of color. I'm wearing a necklace from Target, but the above is a bracelet from Kim Dulaney. 3. White tee - you can never go wrong with a white tee. Mine is from H&M, but to share I found a cute pocket tee from Old Navy.  4. Sisal Tote - I shared this in a previous collage. This bag from Madewell has been my summer staple, and is perfect for carrying books and binders to and from school. 5. Jeans - I'm totally a denim girl. I love my skinny jeans from Gap; couldn't find them online but saw this cute AG pair with a nice wash on Anthropologie.com. 6. Black wedges - mine are Dolce Vita for Target; the above are the regular Dolce Vita brand.

Dark & Lovely

Loving these romantically dark looks from Holly Fulton's Fall 2011 collection.

FGOTW

Who? Douriean Fletcher, 24

Where? I'm from Pasadena, CA and after constant visits to New Orleans decided to stay.

What do you do? I'm an artist, teacher, entrepreneur, apprentice alchemist (for those hip to the book), but most important...creator. I create wearable art/jewelry, bamboo sculptures, teach an enrichment class at a charter school and creating a program to expose African-American children to fresh, live juices.
 
What inspires you? Life is inspiration. The difficulties, the lessons, the beautiful struggle, the triumphs of taking risks, art, nature, history...it all boils down to the beauty of life and LIVING.

Why are you fly? I decided to stop listening to the rules of others and create my own. I've learned to listen to my soul and follow. The experiences and lessons, good and difficult, are exciting! Most importantly because I'm learning how fly I am and what I was intended to be.

Advice: Regardless of what society, family, even sometimes friends tell you, listen to yourself. Do not be afraid to be yourself, to do what life is calling you to be. Do what you're passionate about.

Want to be a Fly Girl of the Week? Click here for more info on how to submit.

Fly Spotting

Getting a local's perspective on the fly happenings and hot spots in a city is always the best way to go, which is why I want to hear (and see) from you what's fly in your town.

I'm looking for your favorite independently owned spots in whatever city you're in; boutiques where you and your girls find the best accessories, fleamarkets you browse on the weekends, cafes with the best lattes and pastries, or hangouts with the most delicious happy hour margaritas. It can be any spot you think a fellow fly reader would like to check out. I wanna see and I wanna share with all Fly readers!

Here's how to submit: Send 2-3 high quality photos (shot like the ones above) to flygirlblog[at]aol[dot]com. In the email include: the name of the fly spot and web address if appilcable, the city it's in, and a little blurb on why you love going there. Don't forget to ask permission before you take photos, and say you're submitting them for a possible Fly Spotter feature on Fly.

To make it even more fun, the first five people to submit will receive a Fly Doodle Book.

So submit soon! I can't wait to see the places where you all like to hang.

Vintage for Your Monday Morning

IKAHN is a carefully curated shop of authentic vintage goodies for your wardrobe. That hand-tooled belt from the 40's is gorgeous!

A History of Go-Go Music

(Un)Lock It: the Percussive People in the Go-Go Pocket is an exhibition of photographs by Thomas Sayers Ellis celebrating the history of Go-Go; a unique sound very special to D.C. area locals.

Being a P.G. County-D.C. metro area native I grew up listening to this music, so I plan to visit and see the imagery capturing a genre and culture that I surely appreciate. (I'm so mad I missed the exhibition talk/event featuring Chuck Brown.) Any other DMV folk planning to check it out?

Here's a quick promo from the Godfather of Go-Go himself.

The Gallery at Vivid Solutions
August 5 - October 7
2208 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE
Washington, DC 20020

Candy Necklaces

I saw a jewelry display of these beautiful candy-like necklaces from Marion Dival at Anthropologie's Shoe and Accessories store and fell in love! Very fun.

Link of the Day

An Indian style on the street blog found via Meera Sethi.

Taking Time to Chill

About two weeks ago I forced myself to get away.

For me summer is not summer without a visit to the beach. When I was living in Philly my homegirl, Rahil, her son and I would do day trips to the Jersey shore where we would eat fresh fruit, hefty sandwiches and munch on chips with guacamole and pico. Our beach regime included chat and magazine breaks between our jaunts into the cool ocean.

When the sun would begin setting behind us, we would then pack our things and head home, stopping at our favorite little honor wagon on the way to pick up fresh veggies (and Jersey peaches) for dinner.

At the time, I was on summer break and Rahil was a stay-at-home mom so summertime for us was infused with leisure.

Back to reality! Since graduating I've been going non-stop so quick beach visits became few and far between. Up until two weeks ago I had not been to one sandy oasis all summer; and with the new school year upon me (Monday!) I was afraid it wasn't going to happen. Then I realized I just needed to go. Despite the fact that I had 3 syllabi to complete, a logo to design and a budget that did not necessarily permit a last minute drive up to Jersey (gas and tolls!!) I simply said screw it, I'm going. And I'm so glad I did.

I needed face-to-face girlfriend chat time and was so excited to hang with my little homie who calls me Auntie Dre. The sand was inviting and the ocean was refreshing. It was a short beach day but absolutely perfect. I really needed to take time to chill.

What about you? What do you do to relax? Where do you go for a quick little getaway?

Onyx Feather Goes to Rio

Two months ago Onyx Feather helped Fly celebrate it's 5th anniversary by giving away a beautiful necklace from their latest collection. Not only was it a special gift for one luck reader, but it was also a sneak peek before the line actually launched. This week Onxy Feather revealed the line inspired by the magical city of Rio de Janeiro. In the collection you'll find textured beads that dangle and colorful semi-precious stones to add to your jewelry box.

NY Times Magazine Naturals

Just in case you haven't seen it yet, check out the latest issue of the NY Times Magazine featuring beautiful natural hair ladies like Esperanza Spalding (on the cover), Solange Knowles and Les Nubians. Click here for the entire issue.

Mexchic Bangles

Bangles, bangles and more bangles! I can't get enough. These big and chunky, colorful woven bangles from Mexchic are stylishly yummy!

Africa Batik

Africa Batik is an online store with wonderful items from African designers like Chichia, Lalesso and Jessique.

Oroma in Vogue (again!)

Check out Oroma Elewa looking fabulous in the September issue of Vogue. How fun is that Roy Lichtenstein print inspired dress by Lisa Perry.

Music for Your Weekend: Genuine Negro Jig

Thanks to my homegirl, e, I am now a fan of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. Aside from the traditional folky sounds (I really do love a fiddle and banjo) I'm enjoying their music because of their homage to a sound that doesn't often get recognized. I really appreciate their dedication to the genre; they do historical and creative research by meeting, playing with and learning from old-timers who have kept the music alive for decades. On their latest album, Genuine Negro Jig, they primarily stick with folk music flavor but here and there you'll find a modern twist. Like a cover of Blue Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style" sung by group member Rhiannon Giddens.

Even if you don't care for the sound, I definitely think you'll appreciate the band's story and how they came to be. Check it out here and listen to the Carolina Chocolate Drops here. Let me know what you think.

And I'm curious, how do you feel about their recent album title? Genuine Negro Jig. I believe it's paying tribute to an era, so I get it but does it make you uncomfortable?