The Jamaican Review: Bridget Sandals

When I lived in Jamaica, time minus 4 years ago, I so badly wanted a pair of Bridget Sandals. Fresh out of college in 2003, I saved enough money to buy a pair and was discouraged by a friend not to. ....it wasn't worth it she said! Should have never listened to her.

Meet Bridget Sandals. Jamaican fashion staple for the uber fabulous and 'buy jamaican aficionado'. Hand crafted leather that pre-dates the current gladiator trend. The original Rastaman and root girls wear.

In Jamaica a couple days ago, I missed the opportunity to stop in to her store because of the conference. Royally pissed, I counted by loss and was moving on when I saw that they were sold in the airport. Nothing like sandals shopping at 6am!!

Look at her featured here for sneak peek of the production and interview and full review and a buffet of pictures here.

A pair will set you back $75 ( Jamaican $6,000) I consider it an investment Jamaica small business industries and myself!!

I bought the iconic rose pair in orange...I plan to open them on my birthday in 12 days and act all surprised.

Check out the tutorial on how to wear.

be good. do better. look your best.

The Philanthropist

My name is Tamika and I am a philanthropist.

Except for the slight challenge of not having the funding needed to do said work. My heart is in it. So you must understand the excitement I felt when I found NBC's series "The Philanthropist". Not a TV fan. And even if I were, Mr. Husband hogs the remote and I refuse to have more than one set in the house. Anyhow, it is a must see.....the main character Teddy is Warren Buffet meets MacGyver (I grew up on that stuff), traveling to a different country in each episode and doing good! He is co-CEO of a company that acquires natural resources all over the world. (hence my interest) Burma, Haiti, Nigeria....I watched 6 episodes last night.

The show is loosely based on the life of Bob Sager...a Bostonian!! Funny, while I worked as a fundraiser//development professional the agency I worked for received funding from the Sager Family Foundation. I did find the workshops unorthodox but now I know why...MUST SEE TV.....I mean must see HULU.

be good. do better.look your best.

Conference Style

So I decided how to share some of the pictures from last week's conference in Jamaica.  I'll share what I wore, what other people wore, natural hair beauties, food and local products. Not necessarily in that order.

This first batch will include what I wore to the two days of workshops in Kingston.

Day one: "Cool and Collected" - To co-facilitate a workshop on Mentoring.

I ditched the black suit for a more tropic friendly ensemble. Shirt:GAP. Pants:Tahari. Purse: BCBG. The story of this pink belt/band is forth coming.

Day two: "Pastel People"- To participate in workshop on Promoting Cultural Literacy and lunch with a cousin.

While pastel is not a usual choice for 'business setting" I saw that dressing for the heat and also the air conditioning took priority. Dress: J-Crew. Blazer: Old Navy. Bag:BCBG. Pumps: Tahari.

be good. look better. do your best.

Laundry

If you walk, jog or run in the morning? I applaud you. Better yet. I respect you. Tried it this morning after being coerced by a friend ( her name starts with B.A.I). The best part I was up so early I had a chance to do some laundry via hand washing.

Do you hand wash? It is okay if you don't. But do you air dry? Confession: the first time I saw a dryer up close was 4 years ago. On a recent trip to Barbados, I noticed that a friend of mine (who lives the equivalent of two blocks from the ocean) used a dryer. How sad?

Wasted energy and missed opportunity to watch your clothes dance in the wind. The fresh scent from the crisp air! Clothing keeps its form better and no added chemical drying agents!! You don't need to wait on summer to air dry either. Read Earthlings Handbook for tips and the benefits of air drying.

Dress- Grass @ Macy's, Embroidered top - ( I got married in this 4 years ago), Belt - from Mr. Husband's lether jacket, Flats Chinese Laundry

be good. do better. look your best.

Youth Worker

originally uploaded by tavaughn22.

I've worked with teens in the past. I was punched while separating a fight with two 13 year olds over a boy. One girl told me ' I hate you and my boyfriend will deal with you". I have her art work my bedside. 3 years later.

I vowed that working with teens was not my thing....but I know how important it is. So I do it occasionally.

This morning I had a session sharing with about 16 youth, ages 13- 18 about my career in sustainability, environment and community development....green jobs, conservation etc. It was very important that these teens, mostly of African or Hispanic descent, of immigrant parents in many cases, heard from a young person(i think that's me) in this field. That was a loaded sentence....they are many layers to it...ask me later.

When doing hard work it's important to look pretty and feel good about your self. Teens will tear you apart if you allow them to! A pretty skirt helps...Skirt - I adore this skirt, I bought it 4 yrs ago in Jamaica!! It's a very green skirt, flowers and all - how much more cheesy can I get?

be good. do better. look your best.

Floor covering

Could I possible make this? At $688 I could learn.

Vintage Belt Floor Mat
One of the coolest floor covering/mats i have ever seen. Its made of old leather belts and has a textures and colors that astound me. You can find them at Branch Home, along with a whole lot of other cool designed sustainable items and housewares.

Designer: Inghua Ting
Made from: Vintage leather belts
Price: $688.00
Buy it at: Branch Home

Source

Do you eat food?

Chipotle: Mexican Grill Resturants has become a favorite chain restaurant of mine when I need a fast meal, that's not fast food. Their guacamole & black bean burrito is so good. 

So, I am currently reading Michael Pollan's " In Defense of Food" and was super excited to see that Chipotle is sponsoring free screenings of the 'must see' movie Food Inc.

If you eat food. Especially in America. You should see this. 

The movie examines the food and agricultural industry in the USA. I will not taint your meal today , but be reminded not everything we eat is food, or the way it is produced is completely unjust and unsustainable. Check out this site to see when and where it is showing.

 

Source

Have you seen it? What do you think? Truth or Propaganda?

be good. do better.look your best.

On oral tradition and fashion blogs

German Sunday: Rudebwoy Electronica & Hold the Line (SoulForce RMX) »

WHY ISN´T THERE A JAMAICAN STREET FASHION BLOG?

© Gabriel Holzner

With the Caribbean Fashion Week coming up, I was asking myself once again why there is still no Jamaican street fashion blog out there and why there isn´t even one single Jamaican submission on sites like Lookbook.nu which has pictures from e.g. Malaysia, Mexico and Brazil.

Is it the lack of money for equipment? Is it the lack of access to the online world? Is it Jamaicans not being interested in style and fashion? Is it the lack of attractive people?

I don´t think so. Look at the music business which has always been at the edge of the technological evolution. Look at sites like the Afflicted Yard and the vast number of Jamaicans on social networks like Facebook and Hi5. Look at pictures from back in the days as well as shots from today. Look atthese girls.

So what is it then?

Source

I found this very relevant post. ( Relevant to who? Me, at least). I jumped in and provided my two cents. One reason I offered, was that the Afro-Caribbean culture, Jamaican in this case, is one rooted in oral tradition. Word of mouth, acquired norms, behavioral patterns, dress, food custom etc. This holds true for many non western cultures. Your mommy showed you how to dress, your grandma made the outfits and you learned to accessorize and re-mix out of dire need sometimes. Most of the documentation on the fashion of post colonial countries was, and still is done by foreigners, and natives who lived outside the country. The post below is from Seen , Jamaicans in Germany! Not to say we do not record our own history and culture. With the now prevalence of digital cameras, phone and web 2.0.....blogs, in particular, I've learned about the fashion of Nigeria, countries in Asia and South America. I can share the following dancehall sites:

Passa Passa

Yush

PartyInc

I still need to do some homework. Cultural survival is integral to sustainability.....not just the culture of the masses!

be good. do better. look your best.

Sustainable denim style

 

This skirt is a tad bit too short and close fitting for my comfort. It is one of the many denim articles of clothing that no longer fit. What to do? Consign or Insulate? 

I do live in New England where keeping warm is a favorite pass time...even in June. Here's a snipet on how denim insulation works......

"UltraTouch cotton fiber insulation is made from recycled denim and cotton fibers, materials that act as insulators because of the looser structure, or "breathability,"of the fabric compared to tighter weaves. Denim dates back to 17th century France, when a type of wool-and-silk-based fabric called "serge de Nimes" was popular. Also popular was a cotton-linen-and-wool blend known as "jean." By the 19th century, denim had become the fabric of choice for sturdy work clothes, particularly in the West. Levi Strauss began manufacturing his version of "jeans" in 1873." Read more here.

be good. do better. look your best.

Tammyanka

Going bananas....

Being an island girl, bananas are important to me. While I hate the texture and taste of the fruit, it represents the complexities of the unjust world we live in. While doing some reserach for a paper, I found the following article:

''Although bananas may only look like a fruit, they represent a wide variety of environmental, economic, social, and political problems. The banana trade symbolizes economic imperialism, injustices in the global trade market, and the globalization of the agricultural economy. Bananas are also number four on the list of staple crops in the world and one of the biggest profit makers in supermarkets, making them critical for economic and global food security. As one of the first tropical fruits to be exported, bananas were a cheap way to bring “the tropics” to North America and Europe. Bananas have become such a common, inexpensive grocery item that we often forget where they come from and how they got here.

In a number of countries such as Brazil and India, large amounts of bananas are produced but consumed mostly locally. Other regions such as Central America and the Caribbean include a large number of banana exporters. Some of the nations in these regions are quite dependent on banana exports, often to their former colonial rulers.

— Rebecca Cohen, Global Issues for Breakfast: The Banana Industry and its Problems, The Science Creative Quarterly, Issue 3, September 07 - April 08

Read more here

A night @ the museum....No. Not the movie.

Last night I had a date with myself to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. My trip was part recreation and part research. As part of my job ' coordinating a network of park and green space advocates throughout Boston' , I am planning a workshop on graffiti and vandalism in urban parks. Coincidentally the infamous Shepard Fairey has his exhibition on show and multiple cases pending with the Boston Police Department on charges of vandalism. His art. Their dilemma.

I went to see what all the fuss was about. Shepard is the guy who did the popular Obama collage. See: ICA Home | Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand

No photos were allowed in the gallery so I only snapped the sign :)

I decided to take the public transportation so I could read a chapter or  two of the very funny Holy Cow, but the rain came and soaked me on the 5 minute walk to the T( train ) stop. We island girls love the New England weather .......(can you smell the sarcasm?)

be good. do better. look your best.

Tammyanka

Anthropolo(bee)

Source: www.siam.com

At the Boston Nature Center today, we briefly talked about how changes , primarily the built environment and introduction of foreign (invasive) species, minimized the need for some of our insect friends along the food web. Do you see as many butterflies and bees as you did as a child? I don't. 

Coincidentally,  Anthropologie, a store I like to look to for inspiration has an Earth Day initiative to bring awareness to the importance  of bees. See here for more details....clink on the 'Read more' link. I think it's really quirky and cute and suits their eclectic image.

It's not too late to do an act of green.

be good. do better. look your best.

T

It started with field trips

While laying bed thinking about what to wear and buying time because I did not want to leave the warmth of my bed for Economics class. I reflected on how I got into to the field of Sustainable Development. Believe it or not, it started in some  sort of way with my love for getting dressed up and traveling. 

For high school, I went to an all girls catholic school. We wore less than fashionable polyester long pleated royal blue skirts, with a cream shirt and a make shift tie. In the 9th grade when it was time to choose subjects for a "career path" I opted for geography, the only subject that had frequently had all day trips to rural parts of Jamaica where I  became more interested in inequality, class, rural poverty etc. and was allowed to wear t-shirt and denim and ........(wait for it) .....earrings! As a Geography major in college the field trips continued.

Eleven years post high school I am still excited about field trips. Today we are off to the Boston Nature Center for my Eco- tourism class.

So paying homage to my start I backed out a pair of denim for field trip day!

Argyle sweater - Gift from my BFF( since 9th in high school too)

Silk lace sleeve shirt- INC (Macy's)

Denim- H&M

Nude wedges- Nine West

Gold belt - Betsy Johnson

be good. do better. look your best.

Tammyanka

Composting

I'm spring break for the next week and half . Yeah me!! So to kick start this season , I'm doing a bit of closet organization as well as working on my compost project. 

Composting is a gold mine. Everyone who eats can do this. Food scraps (veggies, fruit peels) + dry leaf/branches twigs+ air + moisture+ time = Rich organic material for plants!!!  You eat right? 

TRY IT!!

I had to keep on my thrifted vintage red enamel bracelet for a pick me up while I mixed up the yukkie stuff.

be good. do better. look your best.

T

On costumes, culture and perception of style

Saturday night, was another installment of the Heller School’s cultural dinner series. Every month, give or take, a geographic region hosts a dinner and show, that highlights foods and cultural presentations. Last night was Latin America and the Caribbean - CARNIVAL!!!. If you know me well (nuff) I was very involved in the staging.

The event went well. But what struck me most were a few comments on my choice of outfit. I wore a green Lactose polo style T- shirt, a black linen skirt, floral espadrilles with gold accents and a pair of vintage yellow and gold earrings. The colors of independent Jamaica.

Where is your traditional outfit? I thought you would dress up? Where’s your National costume? The expectation was that I would wear some  ‘costume’. I intentionally chose not to wear Jamaica’s so called national fabric, a red, blue and white madras. Not only because it became our national fabric after mistakenly being shipped to the West Indies instead of India, (A friend recently confirmed that the fabric is used  as saris in Madras, India), but it is the color of our former colonial master Britain. Most importantly, fashion in Jamaica is very cosmopolitan. Think New York, Milan with Caribbean edge on sturdy bodies. The wide skirts and frilled tops that are associated with the madras have not been popular in Jamaica since the dropping of the Union Jack (read: British flag).

Source:www.my-island-jamaica.com

My annoyance however, is that the folks who asked had a romantic notion of the developing world- ‘costume like outfits” or that the outfits worn are indeed costumes. I hope that made sense. For me, tradition and modern style should co-exist and both have defined my taste. As a child I performed in annual festival in madras and dreamed of being  National Festival Queen. I value the story of my country's relationship with the madras plaid and its place in my history.

Ranting done.

Here a few of my favorite picks from the cultural dinner series. The outfits are not costumes. They are just that. Calling them costumes suggest a narrow minded opinion of style.

be good. do better. look your best.

Tammyanka

Park Policy and Field Trip Boots

Today I start a new part time gig, coordinating a Boston- wide coalition working towards a common agenda for public parks and urban green spaces. Yeah me!

Here's the email from the Director:

Hi Tamika,

I hope you get this before tomorrow morning – come prepared for a walk and talk in Franklin Park . We’ll go around 11:00 and spend an hour or two in the park. It may be a littl

e muddy and a little cold, although the sun has been warm and we can walk briskly to warm up.

We’ll start in the office and you can head out whenever you need to. We’ll stay in the upper park not far from the office in case you have to leave before I do.

While I know my chosen field of development and natural resource management is not conducive to my other habit, I was taken aback by her email....mud, cold and brisk walk...on my first day?

Since our planet needs to be saved from habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, population and over consumption, I am prepared to take on the parks wearing my most comfortable blazer and 'field trip boots'.

Blazer - BCBG

T-Shirt- Old Navy

Jeans - I found them

Boots - Born @DSW(so comfy)

Scarf- Ralph Lauren, Filene's Basement closing down sale

Why: Because the plants will be wearing their best,wont they?

The last two photos are of 'field trip boots' in action in Arizona on alternative spring break in the Navajo Indian reservation.(photos by DWCPP). Yes, they have a 1/4 inch heel. :)

be good.do better. look your best.

Tammyanka