Fly

Jungle Fever

I was inspired to create a collage based on the trend Shopbop.com calls Jungle Love. Use greens, leafy patterns and snakeskin to add a little jungle fever to your look.
1. Rosa Cha, 2. Ronaldo Fraga, 3. Jimmy Choo, 4. Diane von Furstenburg, 5. Rosa Cha, 6. Gucci, 7. Fendi

More Drawings from Hollis King

Special Feature: Fly Girls of the Week

I am so honored to feature two very talented young ladies, Erica, whom I met in college, and Dierdra whom I met at Hallmark Cards. Together they created Uplifted!, an inspirational card line for Mahogany. Read on as they share their background and beautiful words of wisdom.


Who: Dierdra Zollar 38 (left), Erica Kasai Keith 28 (right)

Where are you from and where are you now?
DZ: I grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida and now I live in Kansas City, MO
EK: I’m from Philly. I now live in Kansas City.

What do you currently do at Hallmark Cards?
EK: I am an Art Director.
DZ: Currently, I’m a writer in the Hallmark Creative Writing studio. I
write copy for all of the card lines at Hallmark, with the exception of the humor cards—I leave that to the “closet” comedians on our staff.

What kind of schooling and experiences prepared you for your positions at Hallmark?
DZ: I have a B.A. degree in English from Florida A&M University and a M.A. in Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. I taught Freshman Composition and Critical Writing at both universities, but prior to all my formal education and professional experience, as a girl growing up in Florida, I spent a lot of time writing stuff for my classmates (i.e. reports, speeches, love letters, stories, etc.). So even way back then, I was preparing to help people find the words they wanted to express to other people.
EK: Community College of Philadelphia empowered me to pursue a career in art. Tyler School of Art implanted the skills that brought me to where I am today and gave me the confidence to follow my dreams.

You ladies recently finished creating a new card line at Hallmark called Uplifted!, tell me a little about the line and what inspired you visually and editorially.
DZ: Uplifted was the brain child of one of the editorial creative directors at Hallmark—Tara Morrow—who wanted to develop a line of Mahogany cards that would be inspirational in tone (without sounding preachy or lofty), and culturally relevant (with an emphasis on affirming and celebrating the richness of the experiences and relationships that link us together as an African-American community). She tapped designer Erica Hall Keith to create the look and me to create the voice—and that dynamic collaboration resulted in Uplifted. What was particularly inspirational to me while writing these cards, in addition to Erica’s visually stunning color palette and use of Afro-centric patterns and shapes, was the fact that I was carrying my first child at the time. And that experience--with all of its emotional richness and powerful sense of connection to my past, present, and future-- was a powerful catalyst for tapping into the creative spirit I needed to write this line. It was like nurturing two babies simultaneously—both physically and spiritually—and I considered it a gift to participate in these two very special labors of love.

What advice would you give young women interested in your respective fields?
EK: Follow your dreams...you only live once! Surround yourself with people who will inspire you and encourage you. Spend time with those you admire and develop a mentorship. Lastly, HAVE FUN!
DZ: I would encourage young women to first understand what you have a true passion and natural talent for—and share your thoughts with a person whose opinion you trust in order to get an honest assessment of yourself and your capabilities. Then find a mentor in the field who will be willing to share her career path with you and advise you on how to chart a similar path for yourself.  And the most important piece of advice I can give: Be your own dream girl—and make yours come true for you!

What's Fly about being a Designer or Writer at Hallmark?
EK: Hallmark is a wonderful place that allows you to be as creative as you want to be. The talent here is SO amazing. I just love learning from my peers and being inspired by them. 
DZ: What’s fly about being a writer for Hallmark is that I get to help countless numbers of people connect with the people in their lives who are most important to them in ways that can really enhance those relationships. It’s kind of like nurturing the whole world in a way, and that’s a powerfully positive feeling—you can’t really get better job satisfaction than that.

Black Style Now

Sunday I attended the panel discussion on the Future of Black Fashion at the Museum of the City of New York. This was a program based on the Black Style Now exhibition. I found out about this event through my favorite Harlem blog, Uptown Flavor. The panel included legendary fashion icons Jeffery Banks and Harriette Cole, along with newcomers, Monif C, and Malcolm Harris of Mal Sirrah. There was excellent dialogue and the place was packed with stylish people.

 

The Brooklyn Circus Party

Saturday night I went to the lovely Megu where The BKC was a having a party. I had a good time and had the opportunity to meet some great people. I even ran into a Fly visitor who recognized me from a posted picture (hi Keisha!!). I didn't get in until 5:30 AM!! I think that had to be my longest Saturday ever. Check out The BKC blog for more pics.

Settepani

Settepani is another beautiful brunch spot in Harlem, it's my favorite right now. Eating a delicious meal and catching up with my brunch buddy was a perfect way to start my Saturday.

Earlier last week I read in the Amsterdam News about an exhibit at the Casa Frela Gallery called "A Century of Beauty: Celebrating 100 Years of African American Beauty." Coincidentally, it was right around the corner from Settepani, which was perfect. This informative exhibit explores the social, cultural and spiritual evolution of African-American beauty. It was interesting to see everything from illustrations of slaves having to use forks to comb their hair, to the lovely image of the legendary Naomi Sims being featured on the cover of Life Magazine. Please visit the Casa Frela site to see more images from the exhibit.

Michael Mabry

Here's another artist I admire for his hand lettering and illustration style. See more here.

 

50% Off for Fly Girls

Lucky you, lucky me! We get 50% off of Melanie Dizon and Diana Broussard pieces at the fabulous Shop With Love store. Here's what you need to do: visit shopwithlove.net click women to browse and select your goodies. Call 203.422.0900 to order, mention Fly Girls and you'll receive the discount. All just for us! Thanks, Kristin.

Love this Tunic

I clipped this tunic out of a magazine a while ago and promised that one day I would somehow get my hands on it. It was designed by a fashion team called Tale of Two, who used upholstery material to detail their pieces. I've searched high and low for info on the company but found nothing. The designers' names are Ali McMahon and Tash Ronald. Does anyone know anything about the Tale of Two?

Uptown Design Collective

If you live in or close to New York City then you should come out to the first meeting of the Uptown Design Collective started by the talented Tina Shoulders of the home decor line, Laidback. This event will give designers, artists, and entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with others while mingling in the new home of the Harlem Textile Works.

Here's more info from Tina:
The Uptown Design Collective will host it's first meeting of the year on Thursday, January 25, from 6-8 pm. This will be a time to network and become affiliated with and create a direction for the Uptown Design Collective. I will also introduce the Executive Director of Harlem Textile Works, Margaret Porter Troupe. We can also see how we can work together with the organization. Come out, tell a friend. Lite refreshments will be served.
                                                   
What: UDC Networking Meeting
Where: 1677 Amsterdam Ave (bet 142nd 143rd St.) Take the A,B,C, or D to 145th St.
When: January 25, 2007 6-8pm
Why: Network

Hope to see you there!

Purple-licious

I am not a huge fan of purple but seeing it this way inspires me to incorporate this yummy color into my wardrobe. 1. Hogan, 2. Illustration from Greece! Rome! Monsters!, 3. Wrapping paper from Brazil, 4. Juan Antonio Lopez

Drawings by Hollis King

Another from Hollis King.

Anthropologie Collages

I love the product collages Anthropologie has on their site. Check them out here.

Uptown Design Collective

If you live in or close to New York City then you should come out to the first meeting of the Uptown Design Collective started by the talented Tina Shoulders of the home decor line, Laidback. This event will give designers, artists, and entrepreneurs the opportunity to connect with others while mingling in the new home of the Harlem Textile Works.

Here's more info from Tina:
The Uptown Design Collective will host it's first meeting of the year on Thursday, January 25, from 6-8 pm. This will be a time to network and become affiliated with and create a direction for the Uptown Design Collective. I will also introduce the Executive Director of Harlem Textile Works, Margaret Porter Troupe. We can also see how we can work together with the organization. Come out, tell a friend. Lite refreshments will be served.
                                                   
What: UDC Networking Meeting
Where: 1677 Amsterdam Ave (bet 142nd 143rd St.) Take the A,B,C, or D to 145th St.
When: January 25, 2007 6-8pm
Why: Network

Hope to see you there!

Mix and Match

I love wearing patterns, especially making two very different ones work together. Vibe Vixen Magazine says the best way to mix it up is to; A. wear small prints with larger ones and B. limit the color palette. And I say, play with your accessories. Like that polka-dot Tocca bag with one of those Anthropologie dresses, looks superb!
Superb! 1. & 2. Anthropologie, 3. & 6. Tocca, 4. Kate and Kass, 5. Twinkle by Wenlan.