I love to support others on their journey towards Total Life Prosperity!  Especially those I’ve met here in DC. Next Thursday, August 12th I encourage and invite all my readers to attend The Art of Dressing Well Fall Fashion Collection preview. The Happy Hour event will be held at Ping Pong Dim Sum restaurant in Chinatown starting from 6:30 pm -8:30pm. 
 

RSVP to theartofdressingwellevents@gmail.com 

Visit www.theartofdressingwell.com

Related posts:

1. Life in the District: Fashion's Night Out
2. Life in the District: DC Fashion Week 2010
3. Life in the District: Fancy Little Things

If you haven’t heard of him by now, I invite you to follow Public Speaker, Best Selling Author, Lifestyle Columnist, Style & Etiquette Impresario, and Contemporary Gentleman Enitan Bereola, II. known on Twitter as Bereolaesque.

[BE-RE-O-LA-ESQUE] -adjective

Highly appealing to human senses or mind providing pleasure or delight esp. in appearance or manner; pleasing; charming; alluring; attractive

Clutch Magazine recently complied a list of the Top 10 Men to Follow on Twitter but they left him out. I am a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due, and this man deserves his credit! Some days I want to retweet his entire timeline. They are always on point! and most importantly he is a man of God that shares his wisdom with the world. This author believes that chivalry is NOT dead! In his book,  Bereolaesque: The Contemporary Gentleman & Etiquette Book For The Urban Sophisticate he covers topics ranging from how to properly carry yourself at social engagements, why you shouldn’t flaunt your riches, social etiquette, why you shouldn’t kiss and tell, and, of course relationship advice for men on how to deal with women.

 Here’s what the critics are saying:

“Class is subconscious. Style is inherited. Bespoke is a state of mind. The commonality is that they are all in choice. This book teaches you to be exceptional in every way.”

Aaron Arnold
CEO, Music Is My Business
Former member of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ executive team
“CNN deemed Aaron ‘Diddy 2.0′ because of his style”

Before doing my research on this guy I assumed he had to be unattractive (#dontjudgeme) but then I saw this video on his website and I was pleasantly surprised that he’s easy on the eyes! Check him out!

Check out his lastest article on Soul’cial Independence SoulTrain.com

Follow Him twitter.com/bereolaesque

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1. People to Follow on Twitter: Tony Gaskins Jr.
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3. When Twitter Goes Wrong!

It is my goal that every reader of TotalLifeProsperityBlog.com experience wholeness in every area of life. Recently, I had a chance to interview rising fashion stylist Apuje Kalu, who was willing to share his story about his journey towards Total Life Prosperity. Without sounding cliche’, Apuje was extremely easy to talk to and down-to-earth. I’ve been following his work with photographer Elton Anderson for some time now and I know he’s going places. When we talked I joked that I was jumping on his bandwagon early before he blows up. I wish him nothing but continued success! *Special thanks to my dear friend Kelle who e-introduced us when I moved to the DC area.

About Apuje

Apuje (A-Pooh-Jay) is a freelance fashion stylist from Washington, DC. As a self proclaimed lover of PORK bacon and connoisseur of Red Velvet cake”, he took a giant step of faith leaving his IT Consulting job in corporate america to pursue his passion which is a career in Fashion.

sidebar: If you’re wondering why PORK bacon, read his Open Letter to Pork Bacon

So why did you leave corporate America?

After 6 years in corporate America I knew I was leaving due to lay offs. I had the option to stay with my IT  Consulting firm but I opted to accept the severance package.  In hopes of mixing my interest in fashion with my Engineering degree, I envisioned a career in luxury goods brand management or marketing. Instead of looking for a job I planned to attend graduate school and get my MBA. In the meantime I made myself available to work on photo shoots with Elton and other photographers. Grad school eventually got postponed and one day I mustered enough guts to say I’m going to really pursue freelance styling and I did it.

Who has been your biggest supporter since leaving corporate America?

My mother has been my supporter since day one. Besides her, making myself available to work with Elton has been rewarding. He has been extremely encouraging and supportive considering we share a similar background…both of us left well paying corporate jobs to pursue our passion. In addition to my mother and Elton, I know I couldn’t do it without the support of my fellow FAMU alums. FAMU has a strong supportive network of people who support the work on their own.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to follow in your footsteps?

The hardest thing to do is to start.  If you have a dream start to visualize it and put forth a real effort to live your dream. Even with 40-50 shoots under my belt, it still wasn’t a reality until I start saying, “I am a stylist.” Once I visualized it and verbalized it I realized this is what I am. I am living out my dream of being a fashion stylist. I’d also tell people to have a skill set to fall back on. For me its my Engineering background.

What would be your “dream” job ?

Style correspondent on E! or Creative Director for a luxury fashion house like Chanel

What inspires you?

Everyday things and people. I am a people watcher…The airport and South Beach are great places to observe the style of everyday people.There are times I see a person and make up an entire story in my head about them based on how they look. For photo shoots I try to evoke emotion and tell a compelling story by using patterns, texture, and color. I follow a few Fashion blog sites and I pay attention to fashion spreads in GQ , Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen magazines.

Any upcoming projects you’re looking forward to? 

Nothing in particular because projects come up all the time. I have a go-with-the flow kind of attitude so I keep my schedule open to fly to New York, Miami, or LA frequently… but I always have engagement shoots and test shoots with modeling agencies.

What does Total Life Prosperity mean to you?

 My definition of Total Life Prosperity is very similar to the vision of your blog. I attribute my prosperity this year to my faith in God. Instead of worrying and trying to force things, I’m allowing him to move. I have to be honest, some test shoots don’t pay alot of money and times have been hard but my relationship with God has kept me grounded.  when you have a relationship with him he provides totally and everything falls into place; like a domino effect.

Check out more of his work at apujekalu.com and follow his blog

Here are some past shoots that I absolutely LOVED! Whenever the beau decides to put a ring on it I’m hiring Elton & Apuje! iDig their work!

Photo credit: Elton Anderson

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1. Life in the District: The Art of Dressing Well Fall Fashion Preview
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Dee & Ricky, the New York based fashion design duo, have lent their trademark retro style to the latest edition to the G-Shock Family, the GA110DR-1A.  This limited edition chronograph perfectly pairs an extra-large analog/digital with the Dee & Ricky design sensibility seen on fashion runways and metropolitan sidewalks worldwide.

Like the duo’s signature Lego®-based designs, all the details pop against the black backdrop. A never seen G-Shock technique combines contrasting LCDs, gear-shaped hands and other parts to create a distinct multidimensional effect exclusive to the GA110DR-1A. To further customize the timepiece, the Dee & Ricky logo appears on the band and the engraved backcase features the Dee & Ricky caricature.

Additional GA110 features include shock resistance, 200M water resistance, Auto LED Light with Afterglow, 48 City World Time, 1/1000th Stopwatch with speed indicator, and 4 Daily Alarms and 1 Snooze Alarm, Auto Calendar and Hourly Time Signal.

Available in July 2010, the GA100DR-1A will retail for $130 at select retailers.

Find out more at www.gshock.com

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3. The Watcher: Tendence “Japan Limited” Watches

Tendence has been presenting some nice lifestyle sports watches in recent years. Limited edition models were released in Japan this week. Both the 3H and the 3H Chrono come in a special all black colorway with carbon and red accents on the dial.

Check out more colors:

Prices range from $360 -$980

First spotted at HighSnobiety & Photos from Restir online boutique

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From May 13th-23rd, Jay will auction select items from his wardrobe on eBay and donate a portion of the proceeds to Operation Smile, a children’s charity treating facial deformities all around the world (operationsmile.org). Jay has spent more than a decade in the world of high fashion and beauty, both in front of and behind the camera. Currently, he can be seen as Creative Director/Judge on America’s Next Top Model, Fashion Correspondent for E! and host of the Style Network’s makeover series Style Her Famous.

Visit Jay Manuel’s Ebay store

Sign up for auction updates

Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/MrJayManuel

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All the sneaker head guys that love Nike Air Max 97 should definitely add the new Lux Limited Edition to their collection. The Lux Limited Edition version is made of fine Italian leather.

Each pair is individually numbered

Limited edition item with only 1695 pairs made

Get the Nike Air Max 97 Lux Limited Edition at Sneaker Stuff

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Nia long is my celebrity makeup inspiration for the nude lip. Ms. Mosley has pulled this look off on several occassions for some time now. Me and my bff have tried several lip sticks, glosses, concealer tricks, and none have given us the look we were aiming for. A couple of weeks ago I told her somebody has got to know what lipstick Nia Long is wearing! I was determined to find an answer and beauty blogger, Danielle of the Style and Beauty Doctor helped me find the perfect lipstick by Bobbi Brown. Ever since then she has become one of my go to sources for everything related to beauty and makeup. In her latest post, Nude Lips for Every Skintone she tells readers how to get the look and what color to try:

Nude lip color tips:

1. Be sure your lips are properly exfoliated (rub a wet toothbrush over your lips) and moisturized (Chapstick will do but for super-dry lips, try Clinique All About Lips or Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Skin Protectant).

2. Add color somewhere on your face to avoid looking washed out. A natural makeup look with tones that mirror your skin tone is pretty, but add a bright blush or eye color to liven things up.

Check out the full guide and find out which Bobbi Brown lip color is perfect for your skintone:

Nude Lips for every skintone

From Fair to Deep skin she gives the names of all Bobbi Brown Lip colors which are rich, full coverage with a soft matte finish. She recommended Cocoa for me and when I tried it on I was sold!

Of course when I went to pick up my new lip stick I couldn’t just buy one thing

(items purchased: long wear cream shadow, instant makeup remover, hydrating moisturizer, lip color, tinter moisturizer)

What do you think about the “nude lip” trend?

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God/Faith

Why Am I So Thankful For The Things That God Hasn’t Blessed Me With As of Yet

Moving Foward, No Matter What

God Told Me, Really?…

Powerful Sermons by Isaac Pitre

Love & Relationships

Why Japanese Singles Don’t Want to Marry

Why Did He Marry Her & Not Me

Beauty/Fashion/Style

Instant Mascara with Eyelash Extensions

How to Transition to a Spring/Summer Wardrobe

Natural Intervention 101: What to do when the perm box is calling

10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy New

Men’s Style

How to Start a Watch Collection

How to Wear Jeans to Work

Life in the District

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is just around the corner.  This year it’s going to be running from March 27th-April 11th, and there’s plenty of stuff to do, and even better, plenty of stuff to eat!  Tons of area restaurants are getting festive and offering cherry blossom-themed dishes, drinks, and desserts!

FREE in DC! Full listing of free events going on in DC

The Fab Empire Presents DC Fab! All FAB things in the DC, Baltimore, Boston, and NY

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One of my Twitter friends complained that I don’t feature enough items for men on my blog so I’m going to start posting more things iDig for men. With Spring right around the corner men need to add “Boat Shoes” to their spring essentials list. I know some guys might be opposed to boat shoes by thinking they are for old, rich men, that vacation on yachts but bright, splashy colors bring a new vibe to the traditonal brown boat shoe.

Bally $375

If you want a little color try these by Gucci

Gucci $455

Gucci $455

More affordable option

J Crew $88

Complete the look with a Polo Shirt and shorts

Add Aviators and a bright-faced watch

Armani

Burberry

Dior

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