JUST ADORABLE

How cute?!!?!!? This reminds me so much of one of my closest friends.....TIFF!!!!!!

THAT MAGIC TOUCH

When I left Detroit to head to NYC to go to Parsons School of Design at age 17, I was totally green and The Big Apple seemed like Mars to me. I had never been exposed to so much at one time. I was very afraid and very leery of everyone and everything. But God works in mysterious ways. Next door to my dorm in the East Village lived an angel on earth who would become a good friend, spiritual adviser, colleague and go-to person for advice, wisdom, a good laugh, a prayer and a good dose of fierceness.

That woman is none other than the amazing Sharon "Magic" Jordan-Roach. Magic, as she is so affectionately called by her friends, is truly the Grand Dame of black fashion. Having been a muse and mannequin for Patrick Kelly, Isaia, Michael McCollom and every other black designer with a sketch pad, Magic has inspired and supported so many for so long, both on the runway and backstage. This woman is one of the world's great beauties - both inside and out. She has a smile and a spirit that will light up any room (and skin that women would die for). She is fearless and inventive, always taking the steps that designers dream that women will take. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can rock some hair, real or otherwise, like Miss Magic! That unbelievable face has taken her around the world and landed her on a million runways as her genuine, loving character has landed her in the hearts of all she meets. She is an accomplished model, producer, designer, entrepreneur, wife and mother. With Magic, what you see is what you get. There is no pretense, no fakery, no chicanery, no attitude - just pure love, creativity and humanity.

Many times people do not realize the scope, the range and the impact of their influence on others. This post is to let her know how much I adore her, admire her and respect her for all of her contributions to our community and for the love she has shared with me. Here is my friend in all of her fabulousness:

Magic - Essence Magazine January 2007 - FABULOUS AT ANY AGE. This woman epitomizes the fact "...that black don't crack". If she could, she should package her genes, bottle them and sell them at your local pharmacy because she'd make a fortune!

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MORE MISS MAYA

TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves it's high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.
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By the one and only, angel walking among us.....Ms. Maya Angelou. The way this woman speaks of my life is downright scary and a blessing all at once.

THE CRUSH

As most gay people will attest, I too grew up having purely natural crushes like everyone else - it just so happened that my crushes were generally on men. Seeing that I was such a TV fanatic (a quality inherited from my mama), my crushes were usually on the TV stars from my favorite TV shows. The crushes that stand out the most in my memory are of the following:

One of my first big crushes was on Dwayne Nelson (played by Haywood Nelson), one of the main characters from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, WHAT'S HAPPENING!. That big, goofy smile, those dimples and the way he filled out those bell bottomed jeans was just too much for me!

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OK, I loved me some Lee Majors, star of another favorite show, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. Steve Austin was just so handsome and macho - really the epitome of 'good-looking' in the 70's (well, he and Billy Dee). I also lived for CHARLIE'S ANGELS, one of the most glamorous TV shows ever (Kelly was my favorite - just divine). But when I learned he was married to Farrah Fawcett, I actually felt jealous at age 6!!!

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One of my biggest and longest lasting crushes was on James Evans, Sr., the father from one of the most influential shows of my life, GOOD TIMES. John Amos, on GOOD TIMES and ROOTS, represented the epitome of black manhood to me as a child. His strong Afro features, strapping body, winning smile, those tight, tan corduroys and his paternal strength had me absolutely smitten.

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But, alas, my all-time huge crush was on a woman! Lynda Carter single handedly shaped one of my biggest tastes in beauty - the sexy, raven-haired, ultra-curvy, super vixen with strength to save the world. When WONDER WOMAN came on TV, I was beyond transfixed. That spin and star burst transformation still sends chills down my spine! But what would send me careening over the edge was when she spun into her motorcycle, scuba or skateboard outfit - somebody fan me, please!!!!!!

The show was originally set in the 1940's, but because of high costs of a period production, they updated it to the 1970's. Well hot damn, because when they did that, Ms. Carter was regularly laid up in Diane von Furstenberg and Halston while toting around Vuitton bags. This was one of the influences that set me on my current career path. It is one of the reasons that the 70's play such an important part in my own creative aesthetic - Diana Prince could wear the hell out of a 3-piece, flare legged suit! So, I salute Ms. Lynda Carter as one of the biggest influences on my early life as a little fat, black, gay kid who loved fashion, glamour, buxom women and super heroes.

This sexually suggestive commercial is still stunning as ever. This woman had face and body to stop traffic.

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Pure pop culture genius!!!!!

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MAYA, BABY!!!!!

One of my favorite authors ever is the great Maya Angelou. She has a way about her that is regal yet down-to-earth; down home yet worldly; scholarly yet hilarious; stately yet a vixen at heart. Not only is she an accomplished writer/poet, but she has also been an actress, a dancer and a singer travelling and entertaining people all around the world. But her greatest gift to me is her brilliance with organizing words to elicit thought and emotion. She touches me in a way that few other authors do. She is a true American treasure and a living legend. I found this video which literally brought tears to my eyes:


David Alan Grier did a hilarious spoof of Maya from SNL several years back - check it out:


And in honor of Maya and autumn:

LATE OCTOBER by Maya Angelou

Carefully
the leaves of autumn
sprinkle down the tinny
sound of little dyings
and skies sated
of ruddy sunsets
of roseate dawns
roil ceaselessly in
cobweb greys and turn
to black
for comfort.

Only lovers
see the fall
a signal end to endings
a gruffish gesture alerting
those who will not be alarmed
that we begin to stop
in order simply
to begin
again.

WELL, WE'RE MOVIN' ON UP.....

I would like to introduce (maybe reintroduce in some cases) you to my little one, Weezie. She was indeed named after the classic TV character, Louise 'Weezie' Jefferson. Weezie just turned 4yrs. old and has become my constant companion - she has her basket on my bike and goes with me to work, to the gym, to restaurants and pretty much everywhere else except the grocery store. In fact, at work she has become somewhat of the design mascot and a pretty big power player. She has her daily lunch date with the woman who runs the atelier, has her favorite friends to visit and generally has everyone wrapped around her little paws. She is equally spoiled and well behaved, but most of all, she is so loving and compassionate and could cuddle all day if you let her.

Weezie beauty shot; "Mae West meets Lion King look"

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And in honor of her namesake, The Jeffersons: