Shoe Envy

Here are the latest crop of shoes making my heart skip, mouth water and eyes green with envy!!

Nicholas Kirkwood Suede & Lizard Open Toe Boots

Giuseppe Zanotti for Balmain multi buckle boots

Nicholas Kirkwood - Python Web Suede Sandals

"Conferences are like Freaknik for the Buppie crowd"

The National Urban League is holding their conference in Chicago so there are a ton of events taking place throughout the weekend. Here's a recap of my Wednesday night:

Gen Art Event - Patron Social Club @ Market (West Loop)
This was an open bar from 8p-10p w/ rsvp. Only snag? Everyone in the world seemed to be there. I guess free patron doesn't only appeal to me *smirk*. I loved the crowd that Gen Art pulled out - - very stylish, very hip, very diverse. I'll take more of that any day. After making our way thru the initial line to get in Market, we braved the line to get a wrist band. We were about 5 people away from getting a wrist band when we were told that they had no more free liquor (not a big surprise) and were having to close the event off (switched to an open bar).


Chicago Urban League MB conference kick-off party @ Dragonfly (West Loop)
When things didn't pan out at Market we headed over here to enjoy the best of the buppie crowd and open bar. I was pleased with the setup and the people at the door were really friendly.... but I may have been easily wooed due to the lack of a cover charge and open bar. Nevertheless, I had an awesome time here. The music was on point, I had great friends out with me, and really had a ball. I'm still learning how to enjoy myself at an open bar without being too extra with it (I did successfully cut myself off) and Ron from Oak Park (random guy with great social skills) put me up on "open bar etiquette" ... which consisted of ordering 2 drinks at a time, switching sides at the bar where I was ordering my drinks, and tipping. I saw a bunch of chicks wearing pearls and figured I didn't get the "buppie dress code" memo. Everytime I looked at them all I could think of was the expression "clutching my pearls" lol... It may not be funny to everyone but if you envision some tightly wound person be so appalled that all they can do is clutch their pearls for dear life... *sigh* lol... nevermind. Oh yeah, another thing - - a round of applause for all of the men that were dressed on point (minus the guy with the shorts on... big time party foul - - pictured to the right). I was impressed with all the fitted suits and bow ties.

Life After Football: NFL Players try their hand at reality tv

With the recession in full swing everyone is finding themselves with their thinking caps on and scrounging for ways to make a few extra bucks. Contrary to what most would think, NFL athletes are not immune to this and are leading the way towards multi-tasking careers as they take on a multitude of side projects. The other night I witnessed NFL baller Keyshawn Johnson's new show "Keyshawn Johnson: Tackling Design" on the A&E network. My jaw dropped and I was in a permanent state of shock as I watched Keyshawn try his hand at redecorating the bedroom of an autistic youth. HGTV is one of my favorite networks (blame my mother's niche for real estate, interior decorating, etc...) so I take my design shows very seriously. Though Keyshawn's show is featured on A&E, I still watched the first episode with the bar set high. After sitting thru 30 treacherous minutes I came to the conclusion that he should stick with football and leave interior design to the professionals. I respect him wanting to branch out but getting a tv show? I'll have to pass. Not only does Keyshawn's design sense scream amateur, but the team he assembled seems to be full of HGTV castoffs. Verdict: Keyshawn will NOT be tackling any design for me.

Terrell Owens has gotten a bad wrap for his attitude on the field, but in his new VH1 reality show, The T.O. Show, he hopes to reveal to fans a different side - - Terrell the person, not T.O. the athlete. In the first episode we watched as Terrell found himself fired from the Cowboys and without a job. His PR team, friends Kita Williams (the hater) and Monique Jackson, quickly came to the rescue and convinced Terrell to temporarily relocate to Los Angeles and work on himself as a person. When Terrell wasn't using his swag to flirt with the real estate agent that rented him his LA home (she later ended up in his hot tub) he was attempting to reconnect with his ex-fiancee. The 2nd episode airs on VH1 tonight and will show Terrell making his way to Buffalo to meet his new employers. The show is off to a good start and I'm not ready to write it off just yet. VH1 seems to be handing out reality shows as of late but this is a step up from the typical "I love" dating shows flooding their network.

On a sidenote, I still insist that the best NFL/Reality Show crossover star has been Dhani Jones (Dhani Tackles The Globe). Besides being the epitome of "thick neck perfection", he has the broad appeal to pull in female and male viewers alike. I know many of my male friends loved watching his travel show and felt like he was able to speak to the "regular guy" (as opposed to travel shows with flamboyant hosts, usually chefs, like Extreme Foods with Andrew Zimmer or Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations)

Million Father March

Walking around downtown it's easy to get bombarded with useless flyers promoting everything from club nights to lunch specials, but today I was pleasantly surprised to see black youth handing out flyers promoting the Million Father March.

A program established in 2004 by The Black Star Project, the Million Father March was created as way for fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers - - any significant male caregiver - - to walk their children to school, creating "an honor guard of strong, positive men supporting all children at that school". This year the Million Father March will be held on Tuesday, September 8th (the first day of school for most Chicago Public Schools).

For more information on this event and The Black Star Project visit www.blackstarproject.org

Angels with Tails - Adoption Event

PAWS Chicago has partnered with The Oprah Store and will be holding their first-ever "Angels with Tails" West Loop adoption event Sunday, July 26th from 12p-4p. Precious pups, dogs, cats, and kittens will be available for adoption at various stores within the area. There is no greater joy in life than being able to save an animal. For a complete list of animals available for adoption click here. For a map of participating stores click here.

Matte Perfection

I have never been a fan of glossy, high shine nail polish. I like a more subdued look and lucky for me the makeup industry has taken notice. This month OPI launched their matte collection consisting of 6 shades that are sure to excite your senses. Following their lead, Essie will introduce their "Matte About You" matte finisher in August. This brush-on product will replace the usual top coat and essentially give any polish a flat, matte look. It will be priced at $10 and an affordable way to spice up any of your current nail shades, without completely going over to the matte side. Knock Out Cosmetics is another brand that has a nice matte collection of polishes. Their "Flatte" collection includes 9 shades that are matte perfection. Slight sidebar, but something nice about this company is that they're certified "cruelty-free". I know a lot of people not only care about the quality of their product but the path it took to getting in their hands. Matte polishes reflect light differently ands how depth. They're set to be the big thing this fall and I hope all the other nail fanatics out there will join me in being a few months ahead of the trend.

Funky way to incorporate glossy and matte nails