My friend decided that she wanted to try me.
Cue the Dej Loaf music.
And I'm not talking about the regular try me, where she drags me to the mall knowing that I hate it there and then walks really fast - pretending to be excited about the sales, when really, she's trying to trick me into exercising.
She knows how I feel about my clothes. My garments are the friends that I turn to when her and the rest of my circle start acting funny. I keep trying to tell these birds and for whatever reason, they won't listen: friends come and go, but Chanel is forever.
"But James..." she said as if some coonery buffoonery was about to come out of her mouth.
"What?" I replied, waiting while "Ruff Ryder's Anthem" played in my head as I fired up.
"You have too much stuff. Like, seriously!"
"Oh yeah? Ya mama!"
And then, I tripped and fell on top of a Couture gown. And baby, the Couture fared much better than I did.
That's when I realized that my friend and her evil and unfair metabolism, just might have had a point.
Finding clothes when living in the lifestyle - and by lifestyle, I mean, big and tall, is a challenge. When working in fashion, I'm not going to lie, there is pressure to be chic 24/7. I'm not one of those stylists who've mastered the art of effortless style. Despite the lie I tell every time "Flawless" comes on, no, I did NOT "wake up like this."
We're smack dab in the middle of Awards Season. In a few weeks, Fashion Month starts and Awards Season will still be going on. That's why the Couture and I had that unfortunate tumble. Even if you aren't dressing a nominee, any attendee or party goer is going to need a look. That means at any given time, during these few months, a studio can be filled with samples, clothes, and accessories - especially if that studio is also your home.
I wasn't going to get anything done. And my own delusions and fantasy about the messiness somehow disappearing wasn't helping. I had to take a break from styling and writing to purge. I had a major attitude. And because I'm petty and a procrastinator, I pulled out my old Juvenile CD and I began to Back That Azz Up. I instantly felt better.
It's no secret that Anna Wintour doesn't like all-black looks. And because, next to the creator (not Tyler, the other one), I am obsessed with every word that comes out of her mouth, I don't like them either. At least that's the lie I'll tell if I'm ever around her and it comes up. In reality, my closet is filled with black, navy blue, and gray.
When working with clients, my philosophy is always to be meticulous about the color, the cut, and how it will be seen - especially during Awards Season. My philosophy with myself is completely different. I work with a dark color scheme so that I can mix and match tailored pieces and dapper styling with ease. Wednesday Addams is my spirit animal.
So there I was, staring my closet down like how I used to do right before I fought. I looked my garments up and down and then squared up. But somehow - and I'll stick to this, my clothes were laughing at me. That's when I realized that it wasn't my clothes, it was my friend. She was trying me, again!
Black was my favorite trend on the red carpet for The Golden Globes. Lady Gaga looked amazing in her custom Versace, as did Kirsten Dunst in her Grecian-style velvet Valentino. But my favorite look was the red Dior from Jennifer Lawrence. Her look was modern and fresh, but still demure enough to work for the red carpet. It almost inspired me to volunteer myself as tribute in the next Hunger Games, but Tracy Edmunds looked as if she beat me to it with her red carpet... look.
The Golden Globes inspired me to try color.
PS - I didn't get rid of any of my clothes, though I did organize, fold, and store.