It’s been a long time since I left you without a giveaway to step to!

I’ve been extremely remiss, bellas. Let me make it up to you with some fly earrings!

If you’ve been clicking around online, you may already have heard of Peace Images. Gorgeous, timeless jewelry made by the super-talented Camille Peace, a young jewelry designer from St. Louis. I was the ecstatic recipient of a pair of her fabulous leaf earrings months ago and I’ve been meaning to feature her ever since!

Since then, I moved and Peace has gotten love from some of my favorite blogs. Chocolate Milk DC interviewed her — it’s a must read for anyone who’s interested in learning how to design their own jewelry. Cami is proof that there’s nothing to it but to do it, she started out fixing her own broken jewelry in January 2008 and look at what she’s capable of now!

YMIB gave her a fab shout out featuring inspiring images of her bold designs.

And now it’s my turn!

Peace jewelry is not for the shy. Her “peaces” tend to be bold, eye catching, and just perfect to set off your natural beauty. Check out the Coffey pendant — a mudflap girl with a big ol’ fro, intended as an homage to Pam Grier. Cat lovers will flip for the Cat’s Eye earrings — guaranteed to get you noticed in a good way! I’m obsessed with elephants, and the Di’s earrings are just BEYOND fly IMO. She’s even got Trinidad and Tobago earrings, how fly is that?

Peace Images jewelry totally fits in with Afrobella style, and here’s your chance to score a pair. Camille is kindly offering THREE pairs of leaf earrings to you bellas!

I’m gonna leave this contest open until Tuesday, and in honor of Camille and her message, here’s how to enter. Leave a comment and let me know — how do you spread peace in your corner of the world?

The bellas with the best three answers will win a pair of these fly earrings. They’re not little flimsy Claire’s type earrings, either. These are bold, sturdy, and built to last. Thanks SO MUCH to Camille for her generosity and patience.

Comment away, bellas! And happy Friday!!

Calling out around the world - are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer’s here, the time is right for dancing in the street!

Martha and the Vandellas said it best, and I’ve been following the lead. Tis the season for flirty dresses, fresh accessories, outdoor festivities, and flip flops. Let your feet breathe, and let the dancing commence!

But there are SO many fly flip flops up for grabs nowadays. The price range is ridiculous — from $3 Old Navy flippies that might last a season or two, to high end bejeweled thong sandals.

You might have your eye on the hot to death Giuseppe Zanottis, but at $200 +, I don’t know many bellas who would willingly make such a summer splurge. If you’re seeking sandals that can take you from the beach to the most sizzling outdoor festivals, look no further. I’ve got some tried-and-tested recommendations that will make your feet look cute and feel comfortable all day long, and will last you through several summers. All under $50, promise!

First stop, Havaianas! The Brazilian flip flops have earned a reputation as being both fashionable and comfortable. Women who own them tend to swear that they’re the best slippers money can buy, and having finally given them a road test, I can understand why. Havaianas are thicker than your average and cushioned for comfort, the bit between your toes doesn’t chafe, and with their latest model the Fit, that thwack-thwack-thwack element of every other flippie has been eliminated. I love their simple elegance, and the straps between the toes and around the ankle elevates these from your everyday flip flops. No wonder they cost $30!

A relatively recent trend I can get behind is flip flops for the bride. I wish I had the foresight to get me a pair back when I got hitched — the ballet slippers I had dyed to match my dress were not the biz, in terms of wearing them after the big event. Brides and fashionable ladies who want to change their style up are in luck thanks to Switchflops! I love the idea of these shoes!

Switchflops are such a simple, chic concept it’s kind of amazing they didn’t exist before. Choose your sole, and then switch your strap as much as you’d like. Switchflops straps come with a velcro back and a pretty button at the “V”, in so many colors it’ll boggle your mind. Solids and patterns, shiny straps and matte, animal prints, florals, you can wear em however you like. And you can get basic black or brown rubber soles, or go fancy and get the adorable 2 inch kitten heels for fancier occasions. Switchflops range from $35 to $49 for the shoe, and straps are $12.
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Mother’s Day is coming up, and just recently I’ve been spending time with some Miami friends who have recently become mothers. It’s pretty fascinating to watch these women who I’ve known as friends, as co workers, as mentors, evolve and blossom into mothers. So many things about them soften and glow. So many things change, out of sheer necessity. Take fashion, for example. During a recent lovely luncheon, a new mom friend of mine admired my fancy, dangly earrings. I enthusiastically started to tell her where I got them when she stopped me with this gem of a revelation.

“Oh honey, mommies don’t wear dangly earrings. Mommies wear studs.”

See — that’s something that never occurred to me! Babies love to grasp and pull things as they discover what their hands can do, and what’s one of the first things they want to yank? Your pretty, sparkly earrings right out of your ears. YIKES. My friend added that hoops are the worst - easy for babies to grab and pull.

So what’s the solution if you still want to accessorize? Studs — the classic, understated yeomans of the earring world. Because they fasten on tight to your earlobe, a baby’s hands aren’t as likely to grab them so easily.

Online, you can find everything from expensive diamond studs (ooh, chocolate diamonds! Gorgeous) to handmade steampunk studs for bellas with edge. Studs don’t have to be your plain ol’ everyday earrings. In honor of my mommy bellas at home and around the world, I’d like to show you how pretty studs can be.

If you’re looking for super feminine, dainty updated classics, check out Andrea Lucille Designs. Each of their three collections features some really chic studs. I like these sterling silver swirls for $95, and I’d definitely wear these half shell studs for $85. But I LOVE the sterling silver calla lily studs you see up above — $145 and those would be so pretty for a wedding. Love.

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I’ve been restraining myself from shopping lately, so I can’t tell you how much fun it is for me to fantasy shop for someone else! I just got a delightful Ask Afrobella question for my pear-shaped bellas.

Bella,

Stasia

Stasia, I feel you! Wedding season is upon us, and we’re in the midst of prom season. Tis the season for pretty dresses, and some extra junk in the trunk shouldn’t mean you look any less smashing. But I have particular taste in what I like to wear, and I didn’t want to leave you and your friend in my highly opinionated hands. I wanted to consult with an expert. So I reached out to Catherine, one half of the mother-daughter team behind chic online plus size boutique La Grande Dame.

They started the store when they noticed the distinct lack of clothing for full figured women. Whenever Catherine and her mom would try to go shopping together, it was always difficult to find items that fit. Catherine blames this on several things.

“I think designers tend to be sizist. They don’t design clothes for a larger body. There’s a big stigma about being larger, and people who work retail don’t understand the needs of a full figured customer. ”

Believe me, La Grande Dame does. They do their best to make the online shopping experience as swift and easy as possible, and they’re available via live chat and phone. And when you call, it’s actually Catherine at home on her computer, helping to answer your question.

So here’s what made La Grande Dame the perfect candidate for your question, Stasia — not only can you shop by occasion (hello, wedding attendant, and hello puttin on the ritz!), but you can also body type — click here for pear. And Catherine had one particularly gushing recommendation for a pear shaped bella. “Every pear shaped woman I know says the David Meister rouched V-neck dress is the miracle dress.” That’s it up at the top of the post.

So what else did we love for your body type? Oooh, the silk Shelton dress is so feminine and so pretty! And it comes in gorgeous jewel tones. LOVE.

The silk criss cross ruffle blouse and matching skirt would be dynamite together and surprisingly chic apart. The raw silk wrap dress will play up your sumptuous voluptuousness (you like that? You can use it later! LOL) and the tafetta flower dress “draws the eye upward,” so if you want to hide your hips, it could help.
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Earth Day was Wednesday, of this I am well aware (I celebrated out on beautiful Vero Beach, enjoying nature. More to come on that soon). Every year on April 22, the world celebrates a day of activism and promise, and everyone uses buzzwords like green, eco-friendly, organic and natural. You know, words that make you sound all knowledgable and caring and stuff. And on April 23, 24, and afterwards? Many of us slink back to our bad habits, buying plastic water bottles and products with too much packaging, and not thinking for a second about our carbon footprint.

IMO, Earth Day should be every day. And it CAN be, if we put a little effort into changing our ways. So I missed Earth Day itself, but I’ll make up for it over this weekend. I’m gonna focus on other fashionable items to get you ecochic from head to toe!

I really try to be green-minded when I go shopping. The days of multiple plastic bags are O-V-E-R, and some fancy grocery stores don’t even offer plastic as an option! These days it’s all about BYOB - bring your own bag. But here’s the dilemma. I forget to bring my reuseable shopping bags ALL the time. It drives me nuts! I’ll be in line at the supermarket when it hits me - oh damn, all my bags are in my pantry at home from the last grocery run. Bellas and fellas — that problem can be solved thanks to ChicoBags.

Made of a parachute-like material, ChicoBags fold into a neat little pouch that easily fits in your purse or your pocket, and they unfold to a sizable shopping bag. The RePete is made from 7 plastic bottles — 99% recyclable content. Stick two or three in your purse and you’re good to go to the grocery! Chico Bags cost as little as $5 for the original bag, comes in all kinds of colors, and if you’re really looking for an eco-chic, environmentally friendly way to get your shop on, check out the Hook N Go. It carries 70 pounds, and will make you the star of the farmer;s market for sure. I think it’s ideal for big-city bellas who tend to walk to the grocery store.

Other super chic shopping bags on my radar? It’sLasTik bags are stretchy, charitable and chic. Manufactured in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina survivors, the company provides work to residents and is dedicated to supporting local charities. Besides the good-for-society-and-the-environment part, they’re made outta spandex, come in crazy colors, and are so fly! So let’s say you’re the kind of diva who wants to go grocery shopping with a shiny gold metallic shopping bag. You can, and it only costs $14.99. There are SO many cool colors and patterns. I love Mother Earth, a swirl of blue and greens, and purple haze.

Beauty companies are getting down with the eco-chic reuseable bags too — you can get green on the go with Sephora’s reusable limited-edition shopping tote, available April 20th through April 26th online. All you gotta do is visit Sephora’s Facebook page, send the Sephora Pretty Planet Shopper gift to your eco-chic friends and family, and use your special promotional code for one free bag. Sephora’s also got Tarte’s Be Good To Your Mother (Earth) bag, which is a $62 value deal that contains three gorgeous 24.7 lip sheers.

Are you down with the reusable bags, bellas? Plastic is so yesterday! How do you roll when you go shopping?

It happens often — inspiration strikes when I visit Fatshionista and discover yet another frontier in plus sized chic. Their recent review of the fun, very distinctive designs of Selena Eon was a revelation. Gracias, Fatshionista! Without you I might not have realized that an unexplored world of customized, unique clothing awaits on Etsy!

SelenaEon makes some very, very cool stuff — this fairie petal dress made out of vintage teeshirts looks so comfortable but makes such a distinctive statement. Very hippie chic, perfect for Bonnaroo. (OMG I want to go so bad!) Her handbasket hoodie is described as a unisex piece, but it’s the kind of distinctive remix of a wardrobe staple that I’d wear over and over again. Especially as the weather gets colder towards the year’s end.

I discovered real talent in the designs of Vigilante Labs. There’s a very fun, flattering silhouette in their clothes. Take for example the felted cobalt trenchcoat, which is funky and cute. I love the Anemone Flower wool top, it comes custom sized up to 4x.

But what I really really need for winter in Chicago is the wool redingote! So classy, so chic, and so femmetastic, and she makes it in sizes 0 to 28. I need it. In more than one color. It’s $235. I’m gonna get me a piggybank and save up, watch me.
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