WORK FROM HOME STYLE: HELMER

2 MIN READ

LOUNGE WEAR HELMER 1.jpg

Sometime back in March 2020 I started working from home. It was an adjustment on many levels.  I found myself scrambling to rearrange my carefully curated living room to accommodate my workstation while trying to transition my wardrobe to something comfier. As time went on, I realized that I did not have much loungewear.  My closet needed a tweak.

As my mental state declined due to the uncertainty of COVID, I realized that it was necessary to take better care of myself and what I was wearing daily.  I am a firm believer that what you put on your body affects your mental state. When you look good you feel good. Period! As my office clothes moved further and further back in my closet, my old leggings and tee-shirts just would not cut it.

LOUNGE WEAR HELMER 2.jpg

I suddenly remembered that my friend Danielle here in Geneva started offering loungewear in addition to the amazingly crafted handbags in her lifestyle brand Helmer which she created with her beautiful mother and equally as beautiful sister.

No better time for loungewear I thought to myself. Needless to say, I could not resist.

I saw myself in all the pieces and I certainly relate to the Helmer woman as described on their website,

“The Helmer Woman dreams and loves to travel, she’s a multi-tasker, practical and likes understated luxury. She is strong, and the perfect balance of elegance and timelessness mixed with modern and cool.”

The loungewear is timeless and comfortable, made of a super light linen with a beautiful ethnic print which comes in several delicate colors.  I opted for the orange Kimono & Pants combo and the Robe & Slip Dress combo. Whenever I put them on, it feels like Bali in my living space (although I have yet to travel there). What I especially love is the versatility of the pieces. I definitely can see myself styling the robe or kimono with my favorite pair of jeans and my CELINE loafers. Helmer provides the ultimate investment pieces.

About the brand

The brand started organically from the mother daughters’ first trip to Bali where they fell in love with the island and its people.

Helmer is not only run by women, but it is also a black owned business with sustainability at its core which made it even more appealing to me.

Their pieces are sourced and handcrafted by local and family-run artisans. Helmer has made a commitment to promote and help their partners’ businesses to grow successfully, through providing skills, education and training thus giving back to those communities.

The brand has been featured in Elle, L'Officiel and Conde Nast Traveller.

 

Shevanne, Michelle and Danielle Helmer. Courtesy @helmerlifestyle

Courtesy @helmerlifestyle

 
 

WHAT I WORE

Kimono & Pants combo - HELMER

The Empress Ring - QUIETEST REVOLUTION RINGS

Carter Ring - DYLAN LEX

All other jewelry - Family keepsakes

FOLLOW THE BRAND

Shop Helmer - WWW.HEL-MER-COM

Instagram - @HELMERLIFESTYLE

 

Tell us about your work from home style during lockdown and what brands you have found that make you feel at home. Share in the comments!

Don’t miss out on future Work From Home Style posts. Sign up for the newsletter and join the conversation.

ARTISTS I LOVE: KADIR NELSON

2 MIN READ

I watched the recent US inauguration, I could not articulate how I felt. Particularly in light of all that went down on Jan 6 and last year’s civil unrest.

While scrolling through my Instagram feed one of my favorite artists posted the image of this painting which somehow embodied everything I was feeling.

The artist is Kadir Nelson and the painting he posted, “Sweet Liberty”. A rush of emotion took over me as I saw my little self in the image.

“Sweet Liberty” courtesy www.kadirnelson.com

I thought of the dream that I had been sold growing up. That America is a place of opportunity for its folk. A place where you can make it if you worked hard (like my parents had done). Growing up as a black girl in America in the ‘80s and ‘90s I always felt overlooked.  The feeling of not being good enough permeated my soul. The lack of representation on my tv did not help much either.

The painting evokes so many sentiments, something Nelson is clever at in his work.  A prominent African American artist who has been featured on the cover of The New Yorker magazine, garnered many awards and did the artwork for a Drake album usually depicts historical accounts and valiant subjects.

For this particular painting the central character is a little black girl delicately propping up an American flag. She stands tall with reserve, a little sadness in her eyes and a timid smile.  Nelson artfully conveys the pain of America’s past.  The blue flower nestled in her hair representing hope and promise of its future. Her rolled up sleeves representing the hard work of her ancestors.  These themes crystalized for me at the inauguration when the 22-year-old African American poet Amanda Gorman recited her work christened “The Hill we climb”. In it Gorman declares,

 “we the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting to one.”

 
Amanda Gorman recites “The Hill we climb”. Courtesy Time Magazine

Amanda Gorman recites “The Hill we climb”. Courtesy Time Magazine

 

Seeing this young woman in her canary tailored coat and braids crowned with a touch of red, articulate what she too has experienced through such a moving poem surprisingly gave me hope. That in the future, little black girls will have the representation that I craved growing up.

I ended up reposting Nelson’s image. It supposed everything that I felt about what had transpired in the last month in my beloved America. How I felt about my own “Sweet Liberty”.

Thank you Kadir Nelson!

Black girls and young women face insurmountable odds in America. I have donated to a fund that I hold dear called The Black Girl Freedom Fund. The fund will support work that advances the wellbeing of Black girls and their families, including work that centers and advances the power of Black girls through organizing, asset mapping, capacity-building, legal advocacy, and narrative work that seeks to shift structural violence enacted against Black girls. 

 
Little me, NYC circa 1983

Little me, NYC circa 1983

 
 

WHERE TO FIND THE ARTISTS

Find out more about - WWW.KADIRNELSON.COM

Find out more about - AMANDA GORMAN

See Amanda Gorman in - VOGUE MAGAZINE

HOW TO SUPPORT BLACK GIRLS

Support and donate - WWW.1BILLION4BLACKGIRLS.ORG

 

Tell us what you think of Kadir Nelson’s painting or tell us what you thought of Amada Gorman’s poem. Share in the comments!

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER: SPAIN

1.5 MIN READ

CATALONIA 1.jpg

CATALONIA

Last summer a friend of mine asked if I wanted to join her on a road trip to her house in the Catalonia region of Spain.  Being that we were in the middle of a pandemic I thought it was a great way not only to get away but also to travel safely.  Aside from a few trips to Barcelona I had never been to that part of Spain.

We loaded the trunk and hit the road for a 7-hour drive to Coma-ruga, a seaside resort destination about 1-hour south of Barcelona.

Upon arrival I was taken by the beautiful stretch of beach.

I was able to take daily strolls in the August heat thanks to a handmade straw hat that I picked up while on a trip to the Canary Islands a few years ago. The foliage in Coma-Ruga is incredible. Stunning flowering trees against Spanish architecture with sparsely growing palm trees dotting the beach left me day dreaming.

When I wasn’t strolling the surrounding area, I would spend the morning on the sun-drenched beach. Following the long distressing lockdown, it was easy to find a spot in the sand beneath an umbrella where I could read my paperback and listen to my Tidal playlist.

We spent a day in the neighboring port city of Tarragona, with its towering cathedral and roman ruins. We complemented our visit with a gorgeous plate of lobster paella and a chilled glass of white wine.

When travel begins to pick up again and if you are looking for a hidden destination outside of the more popular Spanish cities, then consider this region.

 

WHAT I WORE

Davis one piece bathing suit - MYRASWIM

Kaftan - CARAVANA

Shades - RETROSUPERFUTURE

Hat - Local artisanal find

Jewelry - Family keepsakes

 

Tell us about a surprising road trip destination you have recently been on.  Share in the comments!