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Thursday, April 05, 2007

Mood:

Mode: Tonight I felt like going cheap and chic. And not in Moschino. I am wearing a sweater I picked up at H&M for $7. I feel just like Erykah Badu right now. “My dress ain’t cost nothing but $7 but I made it fly…cause I’m clever.” Even know, Mama’s Gun helps me make it over the mountain. Underneath I am wearing a t-shirt I picked up a “N” my favorite shopping destination in Harlem. And some Chip and Pepper jeans, which I had no problem finding in my closet. And what a relief. Had I lost them I might have had to take a blackberry to the head of my roommate. A Naomi moment. But that crisis we avoided, thankfully.

Melody: I am listing to Jamiroquai’s “Runaway.” Something about him always makes me smile. His music is bright, vibrant and funky. Even when he croons a love song.

"N" STYLE in Gotham

Last night, I went to a wonderful booksigning and cocktail reception at “N" Harlem, the premier destination uptown for the chic and fashionable uptown set. Located on 116th and Lenox (in harlem - get it?), I will never forget the day I stepped past the mahogany doors into the boutique. I had read a lot of press clips in the New York Post and the New York Daily News about the opening, and I knew a few celebrities were known to shop there…so I made it my business to check it out.

Carrying a wide array of fashionable lines ranging from the Denim Factory and G Star to Tracy Reese and Nicole Miller, I was overwhelmingly impressed by both the selection and the décor of the store. It is a bi-level boutique catering to both male and female fashionista who want to pick up a nice outfit and some candles to match. Did I mention they also carry candles, pillows, wine racks and other funky accessories that are essential to New York living? Now I don't have to trek downtown to Soho...I have it here at N Harlem.

It’s very chic and comfortable. You can sit down on a soft leather chair and look from east to west and almost create the outfits in your mind. I'm a visual shopper. And the staff is phenomenal. The owners, Larry Ortiz, Nikoa Evans and Lenn Shebar have done a great job adding to the cache of the new Harlem Renaissance. And the velvet curtains adorning the dressing rooms inspired me so much that I went out and bought a velvet curtain for my own bedroom. As an artist I take inspiration from every place I visit.

Tonight, my new friend Erika J. Kendrick was signing copies of her first novel, “Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader.” As a former Chicago Bulls professional cheerleader, Erika takes us to the dark side of the poms-poms. Beneath the lip gloss, mascara and high-kick lines. We meet backstabbing vixens, controlling egotistical men and an assortment of self-centered individuals out to kill and destroy for the sake of their careers. At first I thought I was reading a book about my job…but this is Erika’s story. Not mine. I was never a cheerleader. I was in the marching band.

Erika and I bonded over a few cocktails while she told me how this novel just evolved from her everyday life. Never imagining she’d be a novelist, Erika was working on a tv treatment for a television executive when her mother told her point blank, “This is a novel.” And without any industry hookups, Erika set out cold-calling agents to pitch her book. And then it happened. After a lot of persistence, Erika landed an agent and later landed a book deal.

Erika radiates an inner beauty that I know will follow her on this journey. Please do visit her website http://www.erikakendrick.com/ and purchase the novel. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

And I must compliment Jamar Dunnigan for the event and the afterparty at Ginger. A great night in Gotham.

Labels: badu, erika, ginger, jamiroquai, kendrick, n harlem, sanjaya

Posted by Texas Tiger in NYC :: 7:48 AM :: 0 Comments:

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Summer in Berlin, Rainy night in New York

Mood: It’s raining here in New York. But the sun is shining on my life.

Mode: Tonight I am “In effect mode.” I’m thinking Al B Sure! meets Banana Republic for the after work set. I’m donning a checkered shirt with a collar starched stiffer that Laura Bush’s upper lip. The shirt is Banana Republic with a brown on blue checkered pattern. I topped it off with a Tommy Hilfiger tie. I’m wearing Banana Republic cotton slacks, which are quite thick for a warm and toasty night. It is very windy. But I can tell you nothing was getting through those pants unless it has a Black card.

Melody: Grace Jones “La Vie en Rose” from the 1977 debut album Portfolio. This song reminds me of falling in love in Paris. Taking a boat cruise down the Champs Elysees. Collecting new Eau de toilettes at the Fragonard. French fries under the white arches. Crepes at a little corner bistro. Feeling free to love without judgment or fear. All our lives. “Quand il me prend dans ses bras…Je vois la vie en rose”

Rainy Night in New York

I have recently returned from the U.S. première of the German-language film

Summer in Berlin staring Inka Friedrich and Nadja Uhl. Directed by Andreas Dresen, the film tells the story of two women each at a crossroads in their lives on a search for love and understanding. Along the way they fall in love. Not with each other. Nika falls in loved with Ronald and Katrin falls in love with anything that comes in a glass with a stem. And haven’t we all been through that romance?

The movie has been winning many awards at film festivals around the world and I felt some honored to be a part of its U.S. premiere. I was a guest of Dexter Davis, whose D. Street Releasing, in partnership with Volkswagen are bringing this splendid coming-of-age story to American audiences. Please do check it out at a theater near you.

Afterwards, I attended the after party at Bowery Bar on the lower east side. The party featured a new vodka energy drink called V2 which I took with ginger-ale and a splash of cranberry. Delicious. At the DJ saved my life. He introduced me to Jose Feliciano and the Mizell brothers of Blue Note records. I have already been to amazon.com to stock up on their respective catalogs. It was the perfect musical accompaniment to a wonderful evening.

Labels: berlin, blue, brothers, d, feliciano, grace, jones, jose, mizell, note, releasing, street, summer, v2, vodka

Posted by Texas Tiger in NYC :: 3:41 PM :: 0 Comments:

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