happenings

Fro Fashion Week – Part 2: The Penthouse Party

Hey Divas,

Today is the second installment in my three part recap of Fro Fashion Week called “The Fro, The Penthouse Party, and The Hotel.” In today’s post, “The Penthouse Party”, I pick up where I left off in yesterdays post...

Our story begins as I was headed back to my room at the Melia Atlanta Hotel in downtown Atlanta having just attended the Bloggers, Brands and Brunch. Keynote speaker Afrobella gave a stirring speech to 60 women about her experiences as a blogger and I definitely walked away with some valuable nuggets of wisdom to apply in my own journey as a blogging maven.

So, not only did we all “pick up” some great advice, but we all amassed an extensive “haul” of products from the sponsors.

Look at these gorgeous gift bags

Shea Moisture with their wonderful product display and delicious cupcakes

As you can imagine, by the time I made it to my room I was completely exhausted. Hey, with all of those products that I scored during the demo, AND having to tote them around all day, you can understand why Icy Hot and I are on a “no questions asked” basis. 🙂 So, needless to say I was eager to kick my heels off and relax for a little while with my hubby before heading back upstairs a few hours later to the VIP Gifting Suite. At the Gifting Suite the Fro Fashion Week sponsors would give all VIP guests samples of their products. This meant that I could expect to receive even more wonderful products to add to my already massive surplus of which was steadily growing waaay out of proportion. I mean, you’d have thought I was preparing for Armageddon, or in this case “Hairmageddon.” 😀

Check out this haute ensemble I put together

I did manage to sneak in a few moments of relaxation…well, sort of. See, I was so excited about going to the VIP Gifting Suite and Penthouse Party that I channeled my energies into piecing together my ensemble for the night’s remaining events. I settled on this haute Stormy Mesh Animal Print Dress ($64.99) from Curvaceous Boutique. I paired it with a fab Pink Pearl Necklace ($3.99) from Lane Bryant, and these cute Jacqueline Ferrar Penelope Lace Peep-Toe Pumps($21) from JC Penney’s. I received so many compliments on my outfit that night…so, what do you think?

"Gotta keep the pocketbook clean" with the VBar 😉

So, not long after my “brief” rest it was time to head back upstairs to attend the VIP Gifting Suite. As I walked into the room several of the sponsors had their products beautifully displayed at their tables while others presented their products in gorgeous gift bags. This time I was well prepared for all the wonderful products I would receive! And speaking of wonderful gifts, I stumbled on a great product called the VBar, which is an eco-friendly feminine hygiene soap made especially to help “Keep your pocketbook clean.” 😉

Guests filled their bags while mixing and mingling over cupcakes, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails atop the chic Melia Hotel, against a breathtaking view of the Atlanta skyline. And let me tell you, the view from the cocktail reception was simply amazing!

Tamika Morrison of TMorrison Agency Mary Chapman of Black Brides and Kim Coles showing off our gifts from Design Essentials

I saw several familiar faces such as the fab Tamika Morrison of T.Morrison Agency and Black Bride CEO and founder Mary Chapman. We had a great time catching up while sneaking in a few pics with the always lovely Kim Coles at the Design Essentials table. I also snapped a few pics with Tami Reed of Talking with Tami, Jeannell Darden of Coco Curls and her husband Lance , TMarie of Carisma Designs, Monique Boeo aka Kinky Peaches, TiaLou of If I were a Brit girl, The Sistah Chick, and a host of other fab women.

Me and TMarie of Carisma Designs	Me and the fab Tami Reed of Talking with Tami	Me with my dance partner Jeannell Darden of Coco Curls
The fab Ms Monique Boeo bka Kinky Peaches	TiaLou of If I were a Brit girl and Muah	Me and my hubby Jason

Ok so now it was time to head over to the Penthouse Party, and I was ready to get down and boogie! 😉

Last year’s Penthouse Party was sooo much fun and I was looking forward to redeeming myself this go round. I had a few moves up my sleeve for this years’ dance-off and I was ready to show em off! The DJ was in rare form as he kicked the party into high gear with a medley of old school jams that kept the dance floor at full capacity. After we danced to a few classics such as the Wobble, the ladies formed a circle, and we each jumped into the cipher to show the crowd our best moves. I’ll say it again… from bah mitzvahs to baby showers, nothing gets the party started like a good ole fashioned Soul Train-esque dance-off!

Kim Coles raising the roof and me looking to see if it was on fire

First up was Ms Kim Coles who dazzled the crowd with her rendition of the classic dance move, The Robot. I tell you, you can never go wrong with The Robot, and Kim was in full character. 😀 Now, I was up next and I must say that I was rare form that night. To warm up I started things off with a Whop slash Cabbage Patch slash Wobbly thingy, then Jeannell of Coco Curls helped me seal the deal by joining me on the dance floor to bring it on home with an all-time fav The Prep. We had a great time at the Penthouse Party and I left the dance floor this time with both hips intact and more importantly without an unnecessary visit to the emergency room. 😀

Thanks to Fro Fashion Week mastermind Tarin Boone, the fabulous Kim Coles, and all the lovely ladies of FFW for putting together such a great cap to an event filled day.

I will leave you with this gem in the immortal words of Shalamar; tonight was definitely “A Night to Remember!” 😀