Fly

Link of the Day

Girl Groups Mixtape...

Music Friday: La Roux

Another album I'm diggin' right now. Check out La Roux, and this cool music video for "Bulletproof."

Music Friday: Sissieretta Jones

Opera singer, Sissieretta Jones, gained major success and popularity in the late 19th century — earning her awards and special performances for politicians and dignitaries. With her soprano voice she was often compared to the famous Italian opera singer, Adelina Patti, which inspired the term and new title,  Black Patti. Although she did not approve of the nickname, she couldn't shake it and the name stuck. Her success opened doors for people of color in the performing arts. Learn more about Sissieretta Jones here.

To the Left, To the Left

On the left side of this page there are some amazing independent brands that sponsor Fly. Be sure to check them out when you have a chance. For information on how to become a Fly Sponsor click here.

Link of the Day

Still a few more tees left.

Fly 10 Questions with Nina Chanel Abney

This week we speak to fine artist Nina Chanel Abney. Nina has been receiving global recognition for her paintings that speak to pop culture and political commentary. Between her many magazine interviews (like on Essence.com, Paper, W, and Glamour magazines), a show wrapping up tomorrow at the Fredericks and Freiser Gallery and an installation at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Nina takes some time to answer Fly 10 Questions.

How old were you when you first discovered your talent?
I was five years old when I discovered my talent. I would copy known cartoon characters, but place them in my own scenes.

What space or institution would you love to have your work exhibited, and why?
It's definitely a tie between MOMA (New York) and The Centre Pompidou in Paris. They both have amazing contemporary art collections, they also draw in people from all walks of life, from all over the world, so I would be able to expose my work to new audiences. And because of their abundance of space, they could accommodate large works, and therefore I could paint without any size restrictions. And then there's the obvious...they are both in great cities! [[read on]]

What I Like Right Now

1. A fun and cute striped dress from Forever 21. I actually removed the bow so I could wear a belt.

2. Mossimo Supply Co. fedora, perfect for summer. 

3. Drake's latest album, Thank Me Later. Considering I only heard a few of Drake's songs prior to my purchase, his affiliation with Lil' Wayne, and all the pre-hype I wasn't fully convinced about this artist. But somehow I was pulled in. I think after previewing track 1 ("Fireworks", a song featuring Alicia Keys) and 2 ("Karaoke", an ode to love lost) on iTunes I was thrown off guard a bit. What I heard was not what I expected. So downloaded the album and couldn't stop playing Thank Me Later for about three weeks straight. I liked it so much that I went searching for his mixtapes to hear more. A lot of his songs are still on heavy rotation.

4. One day I had a taste for an ice-cream sandwich. Up until then it had been years since I had one. Discovered Julie's Organic Ice Cream Sandwiches at Whole Foods and was hooked. Very yum.

5. As I mentioned in an earlier post today, I've been on the hunt for cute hair accessories to rock with my new cut. I found some great flower hair pins on sale at J.Crew. I just wored this purple one to a wedding.

Fleur Avenue Hair Accessories

Since cutting my hair I've been looking for cute little hair accessories to compliment my tiny coils. Just found these vintage inspired hair combs, clips and pins from Fleur Avenue. I instantly fell in love with how pretty and feminine they are. The jewelry is pretty amazing as well. See more here.

Link of the Day

article on Commarts.com about staying motivated and actively reaching your creative goals.

check out this link for a similar take on the topic found right here on Fly.

Bestow Elan Designs

Chic looks from Bestow Elan's Matyr Collection.

Sweet Design Studio

Fun greeting cards celebrating and showcasing stylish women of color from Sweet Design Studio. Link via Black Nerd Network.

Link of the Day

check out this feature my girl, Rakia did about me :). Thanks Rak.

FGOTW

Who? Zannëta, 25

Where? Now broadcasting from Maryland. Next stop, New York, NY.

What do you do? RN, student, freelance writer, blogger (A Girl's Guide to Naturelle-Chic).

What inspires you? I'm inspired by music, confidence, and life.

Why are you Fly? "I've been sent here to change the world. How? I haven't quite figured it out yet . . . but I come in peace."

Advice: Imitation is death. When you dig down deep and find something within yourself to embrace, that is when your true beauty is evident to the world.

Block Party Necklace

I adore clustered necklaces like this wooded cube charm necklace PeekoApparel.

Punk Rock Flea Market 2010

Sunday night I was in Maryland about to finish up my posts for Monday and a huge storm knocked out cable and the internet. Which explains why only one post made it up yesterday. But I'm back in Philly now, here's a post I wanted to share with you yesterday.


Sunday marked the fourth year that Rakia and I attended the Punk Rock Flea Market. After previous experiences we expected it to be hot but not the scorching inferno that it was. They moved the market to a new location, across the street from the old venue. This was better in terms of size and cross ventilation, but it still didn't change the fact that Rakia and I were melting. With make-up sweating down our faces and feeling super sticky we were so not in the mood for browsing — let alone doing a webisode.

We saw some cute stuff, though. Rakia found a really cute gray jumpsuit for me, and a red romper for herself. She picked up some fun accessories and I bought a kente cloth inspired tee. The stuff was cool, the place was just miserably hot. You can see more pictures on Fly's FB page. For previous Punk Rock Flea Market webisodes go here.