I live in Midwestern United States where the weather can swing drastically, hitting above 100 in the summer and below zero in the winter. The Springs are cold and warm, and hot, and cold again! It’s nothing to fear, you just have to be prepared and accept the reality of varying temperatures.

Living in the Midwest allows me to get super cReaTiVe with my wardrobe. I can be laid back, conservative, athletic, but most of all JAZZY! My attire is most often referred to as Jazzy. People ask, “where did you get that?” If I can remember, I tell them, but I shop all over. Mostly in thrift stores and specialty-clothing boutiques. I do not discriminate! Anywhere I go from, TJMaxx to Steinmart, I can always find the most “jazzy-ethnic” attire they carry. That’s my thing, that’s my style. My favorite stores are thrift stores, but like I said, I go all over.

I love being able to create my own style!

Many people enjoy living in the Midwest, although it can be depressing sometimes! Nine months of cold weather can have you visiting a psychoanalyst! No need to complain, just get with the program. When its cold, love it, when it’s hot love it even more! Our seasons seem to be all over the place and are highly unpredictable at the present time.
So I keep my closet fully equipped with all types of light and heavy clothing. Every morning I put my foot out the door to see what the weather feels like and I go from there…

THE STYLE… The shirt I am wearing above is one of my favorite pieces. It is a very light fabric and I normally wear a camisole underneath it. I got it from an African Boutique years ago named SeneAfrique, $25. It closed down. The shirt has gold accents so I wore gold jewelry to match. It’s a gold cuff bracelet which you can get from anywhere these days. The necklace is a beaded brown and gold layered style and I have no idea where I got it (maybe Dillard’s on clearance years ago?). The earrings are a costume-like gold from Glitter (in malls), $1. The jeans are from Charlotte Russe, $10. I like flare jeans. The shoes are from Aldo, $95. They are leather inside and out, that is why they are pricier. They are called the Fornili shoe and date back at least two years. I won’t spend that much anymore, but there was something about these shoes that made them awesome. I like them a lot and they don’t hurt. Of course I wouldn’t do crazy amounts of walking in them either.

HOPE THIS HELPS YOU CHOOSE SOME COMFORTABLE ATTIRE THAT FITS YOU.

Peace and love,

Queen Duafe for African Essence

P.S. Need a book to read? Check this out…

Afrocentricity and the Academy: Essays on Theory and Practice edited by James L. Conyers, Jr.