Fashion is not a Luxury!

Just when I thought the fashionista was done…The Sex and the City credits rolled 2 years ago and I thought Carrie had been buried beneath a pile of Manolo's. Of course, there are the talks of the S&TC movie, which I'm camping out to see! But I was to seeing Sarah Jessica as a fashion muse each Sunday night. After the series, she's made her appearances, did the celebrity perfume thing, but it just didn't seem to fit the size 0 writer, curly haired fashionista on the Upper East side! Then came the episode of Project Runway, a challenge where she reveals the foreseeable thought I've pondered on since her Carrie days….Sarah Jessica has a fashion line! And no it’s not a reflection of the closet that Carrie may have had…Robert Cavalli, Manolo Blahniks, Prada, Gucci, Chanel and the likes situated in her quaint apartment. BITTEN is as affordable as Faded Glory! A pair of jeans, $15…and that’s not the regular indigo denim! A twill trench or a houndstooth coat, $20!!! Move over H&M and Forever 21-like chain stores.This line is only available at Steve & Barry’s, a retail chain catered to changing the way we shop…quality fashion, at affordable prices. My pocket book smiles and so do the empty hangers in my closet. Sarah Jessica’s manifesto…It is every woman’s inalienable right to have a pulled-together stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live. GET BITTEN. Well said Sarah J., well said.

Birthday & the City

This weekend, accompanied by college friends (I call them sistas), I celebrated my twenty-(cough!)birthday. Now, let me tell you this...I'm not the normal party go-er. I'm a single parent, a grad student, and a teacher. So you can guess my days are pretty entertaining, with a long to-do list. However, I've learned to cherish any "me" time that I can attain. And lately my "me" time has become a quick daydream & time spent on this computer. So whenever I can squeeze a good party in, even if it's only on special occasions, I'm down and I'm not too picky as long as the venue is more exciting than the four walls of my room.

This weekend, me along with my three friends, headed into Baltimore city like we were the famed characters of Sex & the City. Of course, we were all tired, working women...but the not the kind that comes with a pimp. We work hard, Monday - Friday and then on Saturday, we crash into relaxation exile. So, for us to go out and have some fun without yawning, we had to down a few Red Bulls and shots of Patron! We decided to call a cab since we all wanted to participate in the celebrating of my birthday. We called one of those "yellow cabs" and waited as one of my compadres asked a million and one "How do I look?" questions about her outfit for the evening. I had intended on wearing a dress that exposed my lovely bosom, but then I decided not to. I didn't really feel like getting the "DAMMMMNNN!" look all night and I wanted to be low-key, comfy and feeling "nice". Also, I've learned that in an inebriated state, I need to be as fully-clothed as possible! After we gave my friend the final "thumbs up" and we began to feel the sensations of Tequila, we hear the "beep-beep" of our driver for the night. : )

1st stop ~ Pazo Restaurant. Now prior to arriving, we'd been given a review from a fellow B-More Socialite who gave it the it's-the-place-you're-looking-for review. Surprisingly, when I walked in, I forgot that I was in the city that outsiders call Bodymore, Murderland. Pazo's is really nice! I began to feel like I was Carrie, and Samantha, Miranda & Charlotte were right by my side. The interior of Pazo is very loungy~low lighting, airy spaces, loft style balcony overlooking a dance floor, sideswiped with large boothes and couches. Although the place was definitely my "sober" scene, at this point we were "feeling" the shots of Patron and couldn't afford to lose our buzz to a cozy atmosphere. So we hailed another cab and headed to the 2nd stop...

Power Plant Live ~ An outdoor bar/lounge/club drive-by. We ditched going to a few places. I guess the mood didn't strike us as we walked inside. And, I'm not going to tell you where we ended up dining, but let me just say we had an exclusive "late night" menu! : ) We ended up in Baha's and laughed at a mixed crowd that was nothing like the one at Pazo's. But we made the best of it and got a few more shots and danced like we were at a Union Jam at our alma mater, HamptonU! After watching a couple apparently intoxicated and not bashful about their lust for one another, we grabbed our coats out of coat check.....And we're off to the 3rd and final location...

Fell's Point ~ At this "point", I'm intoxicated. Fully. And not really sure what the name of the bar was that the cab dropped us off in front of, but I do know there was a helluva argument in suit as we approached the door. Rain begins to fall and the guy at the door says, "twenty dollars". We all look at each other and laugh! It's damn near time for most places to close. "You've got to be kidding me." We say simultaneously. But then the argument outside escalates from profane words to kicks and blows that drives the guy away from the door. As I'm being nosey and cheering on the Mayweather & Hatton fight outside, my girls high-tail it into the club for free! I turn around, laughing and drunk, running behind them as we take cover in a corner hiding from Big Lou the bouncer! We didn't get caught, or kicked out. But the guy at the door sure didn't forget our face as we exited the club. "Next time it's twenty dollars. I never forget a face." He smiled. Thank God. We laughed at our failed attempt to be discreet.

Back into the rain and the "let out" tailgate. A very comical young guy goes around and does what he calls a "track check". In our drunken state, we gladly let him check our roots for any sign of weave or track glue. I passed! He was kind of cute, too. But I wasn't there for hooking up with anyone, I just wanted to have a good time. We finally found a "driver", a guy from India, our most pleasant driver of the night. (Our other "drivers" were asinine and complete assholes.) We talked about political unrest in Pakistan and his native city Bombay. "Hey isn't that the furniture place," one of my friends said. We all laughed and watched the city slowly disappear into the background as we approached our exit home. My head pressed against the plastic cushioned head rest, I began to think about some of my previous birthdays. Some of them were compromised by depression, the financial setback of Christmas, or an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. But this birthday was a-okay! I had a great time, just feeling young again and taking advantage of the opportunity to have a good time. My friends are darling. We're not perfect, but we're there for each other. And we damn sure know how to make a party anywhere!


K'