Peek-A-Boo

Vest: c/o Deb Shops / Dress: Thrifted (similar)/ Shoes:  Converse / Sunglasses: Borrowed

One of my favorite aspects of thirfting is the thrill of the hunt. About a month ago I took a study break in between preparing for finals and went to the thrift store with my friend Amanda. When I came across this black and white striped dress I was a bit hesitant to purchase it because it was a polyester blend, but when I put it on, I knew that I had to have it as summer staple in my wardrobe. On this particular day I went for a laid back look throwing on my faux-leather vest and Chuck Taylors. For a little bit of glam I applied my Bare Minerals Moxie Lipstick in Lead the Way, Gold Link Bracelet and shades. Oh, and isn't the little peek-a-boo of leg just the right amount of sexy without trying to be? 

Stolen Innocence

#bringbackourgirls

Today I begin a new series on the blog, muse. As much as I love fashion and style, being aware of the world, my community and the things that affect society as a whole are very important to me. This is the first of many musings from Kiki X. To learn more about "Kiki X"and why muse is important to me, check the about section of the blog. 

Tonight, Stolen Innocence: Your Daughters are Our Daughters, a special program addressing the issue of human trafficking in the United States as well as the abduction of more than 200 female students from their school in Northern Nigeria will premiere on BET. Structured in the format of a town hall, the pre recorded program is moderated by Lola Ogunnaike of Arise TV and Marc Lamont Hill of BET News. Its panel includes actresses Nicole Ari Parker and Tasha Smith, as well as other notable women within the black and international communities, such as Nigerian attorney, Ony Nwaohuocha, and journalist, Omoyele Sowore. 

Five weeks have passed since the young Nigerian women were taken by the terror group, Boko Haram. Almost immediately, news of the girls’ abduction garnered press attention with social media serving largely as an incubator of the international demand that they be returned home safely to their families and loved ones.

In the weeks since their disappearance, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have all been saturated with post boasting the hashtag, #bringbackourgirls, referring to the students. Though the issue of human trafficking has been positioned by many as something that only affects international communities, BET is drawing attention the problem as a domestic one. 

According to The Atlanta Human Trafficking Project, Atlanta, G.A. is a global hub of human slavery and is also the “number one hub of human trafficking and child sex exploitation in the in the United States.” The Urban Institute reports that Atlanta, a city known for its Real Housewives and as the center of black wealth, is also home to a $290 million human trafficking industry. 

Smith, who has starred in films such as Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls and Why Did I Get Married spoke candidly during the discussion of her past as a stripper and being sexually exploited as a child, saying in part, “As a young girl growing up in an urban community, it was nothing but drug dealers and pimps, and I remember pimps when I a at 14-years-old, these men were taking me out to dinner and having sex with me and in my own mind I’m thinking ‘I’m getting love, I’m getting attention’... I didn’t realize that  I was like prey.” 

Stolen Innocence airs tonight at 7 p.m.(EST) and I am interested to see the dialogue that transpires during and from the one-hour program. 

A Wall of Roses

Every now and then we are all have the humbling experience of eating our own words, and unfortunately I had to do so on my birthday. On Mother's Day I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and came across a post by Kim Kardashian of what at first glance looked like a giant rice krsispy treat sitting on grass. The caption revealed that it was instead a giant wall of roses given to her by her fiance, Kanye West. The first thing out of my mouth was, "What in the World is she going to do with a wall of roses?"  Well, when I arrived at Lucky 32 for my birthday dinner and found  on the exterior of the restaurant was a gorgeous wall of  knockout roses I immediately answered my own sarcasm filled question--

 Take pictures, duh!  Though the wall didn't quite compare to Kim's it was still beautiful none the less. 

This black and white gingham dress was so light and airy and the perfect ensemble for the evening. Gingham is one the trends that was featured a lot on the runway during Spring 2014 Fashion Week so I was excited to finally be able to incorporate it into my wardrobe. With my strappy black sandals and bright lips, I think I managed to look chic and sophisticated, a modern day Dorothy.

Kim and I used a wall of roses to take pictures, what would you use it for?

Graduation Photos + Tiny Prints

Almost a week ago now I achieved perhaps my greatest accomplishment so far-- I graduated from the wonderful North Carolina State University with a B.A. in Communication-Media. Leading up to graduation I knew that I wanted to take senior pictures, but my biggest concern was that they not turn out as cheesy as my high school senior portraits did. 

Aside from a trip to the hair and nail salons before taking the pictures, I styled two classic outfits that would make my pictures look timeless. Look one I call "The Sophisticated Graduate." This look featured a beautiful midi skirt (similar) and white cap sleeved blouse both from Express. I wore gold backed diamond stud earrings and a gold link bracelet, also from Express with cute Black Steven by Steve Madden pumps. The second look was "Campus Casual," and closely resembled something I would wear to class on a regular basis and consisted of a N.C State jersey, my favorite ripped boyfriend jeans from Gap and of course, black Chuck Taylors.

The most important thing to remember when dressing for graduation pictures is to not be too trendy. You're going to want to look back at these pictures 20 years from now and remember the good times you had in college, not cringe at what you're wearing. Also, if your like me, you're going to want to use the photos for many things, like Thank You cards.

My Tiny Prints Order arrived in a blue box 

Of course I have to send thank you cards to everyone who gave me a gift for graduation, but I also want to send a thank you note to special people who helped throughout my four years of school. Sending generic cards was out of the question, so I was particularly excited about working with Tiny Prints to create custom thank you notes. Though designing my cards was fun, it took a while for me to select a design for two reasons:

1. I had a million pictures to choose from.
2. Tiny Prints has just as many custom card designs (295 to be exact)!

I finally opted to split my order in half and got 20 thank you cards with one picture and another 20 with a second photo. My cards are the "Dazzling Congrats" design which I loved for its glittery font on the front and cute glittery polka dots on the back.

Card 1 - "The Sophisticated Graduate" Look

Card 2 - "Campus Casual" Look

The process of designing the cards is simple and even cooler is the fact that Tiny Prints offers graduation packages in which you can customize matching graduation announcements, invitations and thank you cards. Though most colleges have already held their graduation ceremonies, for high school graduations which are quickly approaching, this is still a good option. If you're in a rush to receive your order, Tiny Prints even offers 2 day delivery! 

I was more than pleased with the final result of my cards when they arrived in the mail. They are high quality and really super cute! 

*Thank you cards c/o Tiny Prints! 

                                                       

Girl About Town

Shirt: The Limited / Shorts: Marilyn Monroe / Shoes: Nine West via TJ Maxx/ Purse: Kate Spade / Bracelet: Express

Yesterday I celebrated 22 years of living in  hot pink hot pants, my precious Kate Spade bag and a new hot pink lip. I purchased these shorts last week while wasting time before getting my hair done and didn't try them on until yesterday morning. Though my first thought when I put them on was, "these are little shorter than I thought they would be," I couldn't resist their color and decided to indulge just this once for my birthday. Once I was dressed, I couldn't help but feel that in some way my outfit was lacking, so I made a trip to the MAC counter for a fun pink lip! 

I've never felt comfortable enough to wear pink lipstick before, so this shopping trip was somewhat of big deal. I tried on several shades of pink, until I finally settled on "Girl About Town." The girl at the counter tried to persuade me into "Pink Pigeon," but I wasn't a fan of the matte finish. She kept trying to entice me into buying it saying, "but this is the new style" and "not many people have this color yet." Despite her persuasions, at 22 I've learned that it's not so much about fitting in as it is being comfortable. I brought "Girl About Town" and confidently sported my pink lips around town as I did some birthday shopping. 

This was the perfect birthday outfit for me in that it was girly, simple and pink.