Sunday, June 21, 2009

Buttoned dream

I've wanted a button down cotton skirt since 2002. I was in my final year of undergrad when my housemate from the Bahamas had a lovely vintage one she found in Amerstand. My mother had similar styles in the 80's too.

On Thursday , despite the rain I ran over to local consignment shop to pick up some unsold items. Voila!!! Salmon + Button down +My size+ Cotton. +Vintage + J-Crew. On sale for $11 = Dream realized!!

I wore it in NYC the very next day while lunching& walking with my best friend in SOHO. I am so over my fear of poop inna.(Read the post here)


Vintage button down skirt - J-Crew(thrift)
Tank- AE
Silk scarf- LongChamps(thrift)
Bag- CK
T- strap sandals -Steve Madden
be good. do better. look your best.
Tammyanka

Thursday, June 18, 2009

I wish I were here....

..instead I'm in rainy Boston planning a workshop.





be good. do better. look your best.
tammyanka

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

The Synful Collection


























I am addicted to clutches. My mother carried them to distinguish casual from dressy looks in the 80’s and 90’s and for me,as a child, carrying a clutch was the epitome of being a fashionable lady.

The lovely pieces above were designed and created by one of my best friends, Synethia. Synethia is perhaps the only friend who can 'out shop' me in terms of number of hours and show continued militancy. She is living in Japan( again!) and made these beauties by hand from silk Japanese Obi sashes/belts. Me likey.
Now, my only challenge is which of the pieces will she 'gift' to me , just because. I’m trying to get her to sell them on etsy….leave a comment if you think she should.

The lady above is the empress herself…..always looking divine.

be good.do better. look your best.
Tammyanka

Monday, June 15, 2009

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

I like her style!

Again celebrities have what seems like endless wardrobe budgets, get lots of free stuff and are in a
a business where their image is apart of the product they sell. So I try not to get too caught up with their style.
  
But, come on, isn't Eva Pigford...opps Marcell's look to die for. Easy , flowy, maxi dress with layers of chunky arm candy and huge door knocker earrings at a flea market.

I like her style.

Be good. do better.
look your best.
Tammyanka






Saturday, June 13, 2009

Life is good. Happy Saturday!(Updated




70 degrees weather
7 books at 50 cents a piece at my library's yard sale
long walk to the bank with Mr. Husband.
1 stop by the newest and most chic consignment store in my 'hood to pick up ca$h
3 new-to me dresses
2pm tennis class
5pm youth 'crunk' fundraiser @ Close to Home (yup, that first image is me 3 years ago)

Images coming lata.....(update)



be good. do better. look your best.
Tammyanka

Friday, June 12, 2009

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




Thursday, June 11, 2009

Caribbean Fashion Week

Caribbean Fashion Week began yesterday. I wish I had a pair of red shoes so I could close my eyes and reopen them in Kingston. Until then, the internet provides a glimpse of the grandeur , pomp and finesse of a show that Pulse produces each year. Visit the website...it's a real treat!



be good. do better. look your best.
Tammyanka

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Strong one

image via

My mother says my new do ( or non do) reminds her of Etana. Problem is, she has never actually  seen my hair post locks.  Etana is a Jamaican reggae artiste who bust on the scene after I left Jamaica, but I have grown to love her music.   Check out her song 'Dont Forget'.


There is perhaps no similarity between myself and Etana except that we are both black girls with natural hair. But for my mother who was born in pre-independent Jamaica and came of age in post colonial Jamaica where a Jamaican and black identity was not yet defined; my natural hair, suggests a rebellious act. Surprise, surprise. Mommy dear, I am maroon and so are you. 

She is a little concerned about grad school internship prospects with my untamed hair. She constantly asks me, 'what are going to do with your hair for next semester?'

Mommy....it's done!


Flower hair clips- H&M

be good. do better. look your best.
tammyanka

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

And now for your feature presentation....


Today I am featured as a 'natural bride' in one of my new favorite blogs Black Girl long Hair.

 Seeing the pictures and the kind comments made me realize how much I miss my locked tresses. 



I have since chopped my locks (after 3 years and some) and am caring for my hair in its natural state. A first since adulthood. ( I had my first relaxer at 12 years old)

I have no clue what I am doing. But with the help of my fellow bloggers I am learning. Wash. Moisturize. Care. Twist. Style. Repeat.

The images above were taken by my bets friend Kerrisha in Barbados last week.


be good. do better. look your best.
Tammyanka

Friday, June 5, 2009

Return from my hiatus!



Exams done, graduations, parties, wedding.....bridal duty in Barbados....blah,blah, blah. May was busy. I  no longer enjoy taking daily pictures of my outfits. It stifled my creativity. I was no longer dressing for me, I now had an audience. Not too sure I enjoyed that. As a matter of fact, I didn't.

So now I'm spending more time researching my new lockless hair.......

Found some new blogs that I like to follow. Check them out:

http://lecoil.tumblr.com
http://flygirls.typepad.com

be good. do better.look your best.
Tammyanka

Friday, May 15, 2009

Change has come....

Photo: via

I purposely took a step back from this blog, the 10 or so other fashion blogs I checked daily and the number of hours I spent online.

I am rethinking a few things....

be good. do better. look your best.
tamyanka

Thursday, May 7, 2009

I like her style!

Celebrities get free stuff, their income tend to be in the millions, so I usually do not get caught up with their style. 
Then there is Rihanna. Maybe I am biased 'cause she is Caribbean. Maybe it's because of the risks she takes. Whatever it is, I like her style. Her confidence is her best accessory.


Via:theybf.com

be good. do better. look your best.
tammyanka

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Unsustainable needs

I had a little get together in my yard this past weekend. I knew my backyard needed a bit of "fixing" but seeing it on film made me recognize that attention is needed immediately! I like refurbishing old furniture, and I have done what I can with the hand me downs the older property owner left. But I need help!!

While I know Boston only gets 2-3 months of outdoor type weather, I am putting my wish list out there and will scavenger the thrift stores, online etc until the space is fabulous.

Sydney at ShopStyle
Images via
I am thinking a coral theme, wrought iron, candles, hammock.......Am I asking for too much?

be good. do better. look your best.
tammyanka



Monday, May 4, 2009

Mamma's Style

Today is my mother’s 50th birthday! She is my hero, friend, biggest supporter and style icon. She taught me to never carry large totes and handbags to evening occasions. Hence my obsession with the clutch! To wear what I had with my biggest smile and to look my best since you never know what the day will bring. She balanced style with comfort and was always creative on a 'third world economy' sized budget. 

With three growing girls and a father who thought clothing was only needed to cover the body, she made fashionable outfits from the scraps of her clients (she was a reluctant seamstress) and ‘remixed’ our clothes by adding patches, laces, buttons and miscellaneous things for a new look.

Since I cannot be in Jamaica with her today, I am wearing a cardigan that originally belonged to her. Both my sisters and I have owned this cardigan at some point.  The cardigan is imitation Calvin Klein, bought in downtown Kingston and commonly found in 'third world countries'.:)


I love you Mommy!

Cardigan-  imitation CK ( originally my mother's circ 1995)
Skirt - F21 (thrifted)
T-shirt - F21
Scarf - H&M

be good. do better. look your best.
tammyanka