This pic was one of the last things I looked at online on Thursday night. Then I had a dream that Willow came to me (cuz you know she is my daughter in my head; don’t judge me) and asked was I mad that she cut her hair like me. And of course I said no cuz I love her so much. I was actually flattered and gave her a hug. She was such a sweet & innocent girl in my dream.

Weird, I know. 

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twasftw:

Willow Smith

My most favorite movie in the whole wide world. BUT I have not been able to watch it since Michael died…

unadulteratedconcept:

gittin it.

(Source: samljackson)

thesmithian:

Dance companies are supposed to be shrinking, not starting up in these recessionary times. Not so at the Dance Theater of Harlem, which closed its company in 2004. Theater officials on Wednesday announced the start of auditions to create a new stripped down troupe of 18 dancers, which will begin rehearsing in August and touring in October and aims to return to a New York stage by April 2013.

more.

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My first love. 

FYI: I studied at Dance Theater of Harlem for a short bit. Happy to hear that they are returning.

(Source: thesmithian)

jwilliamwashington:

Tune-Yards - Bizness

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colors and dance.

fatima robinson. my newest muse/inspiration.

always been a fan of fatima because we share the same 2 loves: dance and fashion/personal style. but seeing this has made me love her a little more.

fatshopaholic:

franticdreams:

Robyn - Call Your Girlfriend

Best white girl dancing EVERRRRRRRR, oh my gawdddddd.

BEST. SONG. EVER.

the body i am striving for.

ms badu does modern dance? love her even more.

(we are such kindred spirits.)

(Source: seecaroundtown)

anouki bicholla fall/winter 2011/12 fashion show featuring kazaky

i wanna do a fashion show like that.

that hair + those shoes + the clothes + the gay boys opening the show = amazing!

***shout out to shirlette for showing this to me.  

i miss dancing…

and one of my ultimate goals is to design costumes for alvin ailey…

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melodysblog:

BRIANA REED in ALVIN AILEY’S CRY.

Photo by R. FALIGANT

me (center) celebrating my birthday with my sisters shanessa (l) and tiajuana (r)

got some requests to come out to my party. so happy you guys will be there to celebrate with me. it’s gonna be exciting to meet my fans/customers.

we changed the location. so it’s not at my showroom anymore. we will be doing it up at a cute lounge in tribeca. and my girl/big sis eutopia will be hosting it.

so if you would like to come out for free cake and drinks and lots of dancing and fun, hit me up:

info@nakimuli.com

holla! 

my customer turned homegirl Cat playing dress up at the studio. She is wearing the Cater Dress.

Cat is an amazing dancer who is now dancing on Broadway in the wonderful show Fela. She came by to get fitted for a custom dress she wants to wear for the Tony Awards next Sunday. Wow! naKIMuli @ the Tony Awards? bananas!!!

by the way, you should go see Fela. it is AMAZING!

“stuff happens. we plan stuff and sometimes it goes another way. this is not going to get away from us.

and keep in mind we are doing work that it would take a team of people getting top dollar alot longer to produce the work that either of us has done...

okay (hugs)

You’re doing amazing work…

and you’re are totally kicking ass. who can switch hats like this? Donna Karan? I think not.”

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my friend wrote this to me yesterday when i started to hyperventilate about missing the deadline, yet again, for posting the new naKIMuli spring collection. because of certain things i won’t go into (nothing bad, just stuff), the debut has been pushed back yet again. our original date, april 15th, has come + gone. but i promise u that NEXT WEEK all the new pieces will be up with a couple of surprises. ;)

but in the meantime…

did a photo shoot with my friend candy for shanae, my other clothing label.

now i have been going back in forth with shanae trying to really define it and make a clear distinction between it + naKIMuli. i started out wanting shanae to be more of a dance-inspired line + so i am going back to that. with that being said, some of the items that were in shanae are now (back) in naKIMuli:

mermaid skirt

draped sleeve midriff top

101 dress

cut throat cardigan

each are currently available or will be available soon at shop.nakimuli.com.

and here are the new shanae pieces that will be available tomorrow:

circle skirt- can also be worn as a dress

chillin’ dress

easy dress- can also be worn as a skirt

miss nophi dress- can be worn with v-neck in front or back

the every dress- can be tied countless ways

the every leggings jumper- can also be tied countless ways

sweetie dress- can be worn as a skirt

***each item will be available in several colors + limited edition prints. and we will offer plus size. and they will only be available at our etsy store: www.shanaebytm.etsy.com

on saturday, me + kelly went to go see my mentor + former boss, brenda brunson-bey, at her spring 2010 fashion show in brooklyn. funny thing being there was that: 1-soooo many memories came flooding back to me as i saw her clothing + so many familiar faces, including tons of her loyal customers (they go crazy at these shows!) and 2-i realized how my style of designing is so similar to my mentor’s: bold colors, lots of prints, unique silhouettes.

it was cool to go to a fashion show, as kelly stated to me, that was more than just a fashion show. there was dancing, indie designers who were vending, and food. and most of her models are her customers. very refreshing to see beautiful black women of different shapes + sizes strut their stuff down the runway. i was glad kelly + i went.

kelly. looking so cool in her lace leggings.

the blurry pic kelly took of me.

brenda. addressing the crowd before the show. the 1st half showcased 5 indie designers that she carries in her boutique.

and in true designer fashion, she changed to introduce the 2nd half of the show, which was her label called tribal truths. below are a few looks from her spring collection.

my girl jamie. we went to junior high + high school together.

brenda also makes the boot stirrups that some of models r wearing.

brenda logo tee w/adinkra symbols on the back.

all of brenda’s coats/jackets are reversible.

another reversible spring coat. (u should have seen how gracefully this model would reverse these coats on the runway. amazing! now that is talent!)

another reversible coat.

my fav outfit, though i didn’t get a good pic of it.

at the end, customers just started dancing outta nowhere!

it was a fun-filled day.

my afro-hipster look

had a wonderful weekend.

friday- went to see some friends perform in l.e.s. then afterwards had to run to the boondocks in williamsburg to see my huuuzband q-tip dj @ brooklyn bowl. the crowd was…interesting. but my baby did his thang. i just luv him so.

saturday- met with a client, ran to the fabric store to pick up some necessities, and sleep the rest of the day.

today- woke up @ 6:45am to catch up on some work then off to the private screening of this movie i helped wardrobe this past summer called “the cycle.” (the film came out so dope! congrats to roy clovis, the director. so proud of him!) then got a bite to eat with some of the crew from the film; it was good catching up with good people.

after this long weekend, i feel fulfilled. i think the nice weather played a part in it. i just feel like i am getting back to the old tennille, the one who would go out + socialize and enjoy people + life. recently i have been so couped up at home just working. but i am looking forward to the nice weather so i can go out + enjoy the city like i used to.

and speaking of nice weather, i am soooo looking forward to wearing little skirts + heels. and color. lots of it too! i was just looking at the above pic thinking, damn, why do i have on so much black! i mean black has always been in my wardrobe but i think i overdid it this past summer when i bought 6 pairs of black american apparel leggings (wholesale-cuz i ain’t crazy!). i need to purge my closet of all this black! and of other stuff too. i actually made a mental list of the items that must go asap. more on that later.

spring cleaning here i come!