MY LIVE PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH LUXURY SHOE DESIGNER AND CEO SHATIARRA MONROE

SHARED BY SHARRA GREENE & SHATIARRA MONROE | MUSIC PRODUCED BY D. BROWN THE BEGOTTEN SON

If you follow my brand and my blog, you may know that I had an article interview with emerging shoe designer in my city, Shatiarra Monroe. The original interview was very well received and it was a dope experience, connecting with a fellow creative entrepreneur in Baltimore who is serious about her business and her vision. (Check out the original article here)

You may also know that I recently relaunched my podcast, Style With Sharra: The Podcast Series, where I I discuss various topics regarding fashion, business, lifestyle, and well being. I was so adamant about having Shatiarra as one of my first guests because I knew she had first hand experience on building something from nothing in the fashion & business space and I knew her expertise, charisma, and relatable experiences would be great for my listeners to hear. Plus, it was a great opportunity to get to know her more! I brought the questions, she brought the wine (more than enough, we got a little lit) and we vibed.

Listen to us talk about everything from mental health and personal development, to how fashion is our safe place, to her inspiration, routines, and motivation behind launching an online luxury shoe line while balancing an engineering career.

Comment your thoughts on our interview below! Follow Shatiarra on Instagram, shop her collection on shatiarramonroe.com for BOMB heels, and tune into new episodes of Style with Sharra on Wednesdays!

Sharra,

“The definition of walking art.”

4 TIPS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THE PERFECT BRUNCH FIT

WRITTEN BY SHARRA GREENE

Shop Our Looks: My friend Comfort of CNK STYLEBOOK (check her site out!) is wearing a two piece plaid set and white ankle boots from Nasty Gal, and a thrifted DKNY blazer (shop a similar one here) I am wearing a ribbed fringe sleeve mini dress by Akira, PLT studded belt and snakeskin thigh high boots, double disc earrings from Forever 21, vintage clutch, bangles and ring I got forever ago.

Over the past year or two, brunching has become THE go-to activity for my generation to link up and catch up with friends in the midst of everyday “adulting”. Many use their brunch dates as an excuse to bring out their best fits and flick it up. Here are a couple of guidelines to help narrow down your options for that perfect brunch fit.

DRESS IN LAYERS

This way you can get comfortable at brunch, and then throw your extra layers of jackets, dusters, etc, back on for any #ootd pics you may wanna take. Plus, if it’s chilly at the restaurant or outside, you can keep warm.

CHOOSE A THEME FOR YOUR LOOK

Whether it be leather and floral like the look I put together below, or stripes, monochrome, etc, try having each of your friends focus on a theme for their brunch outfit. This will give each of you a chance to stand out and express your individual aesthetics while brunching together as a unit. Commenting on the bomb looks everyone is wearing could also serve as a great convo starter.

Shop the look: Top, Jacket, skirt, heels, bag, earrings.

FOLLOW THE SLOUCHY / FIT RULE

I call this rule the slouchy/ fit rule because it involves going for a slouchy look with one article of clothing and going for a more bodycon fit with the next. This is something that I like to do a lot, especially when I’m going out to eat, I’ll pair tight fitting jeans or shorts with a more loose fitting top (that way I can eat whatever without looking full afterwards).

BRING OUT YOUR BEST HEELS

I like to choose days where I’ll be sitting most of the time as a break in day for my newest and favorite pairs of heels. It’s the ultimate cheat code where you don’t necessarily have to dress for comfort.

Stay tuned for more style posts coming very soon to the blog! Have an idea for a post? I’d love to hear it. Send ‘em all to styleadvicebysharra@gmail.com.

Sharra,

“The definition of walking art.”

REDEFINING LUXURY: GETTING RID OF THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO BLACK OWNED BRANDS AND PUSHING THE CULTURE FORWARD

WRITTEN BY SHARRA GREENE

In an interview with Fashion Bomb Daily, luxury streetwear designer Milan of Milano Di Rouge opened up about the criticism she received following the release of her first $500 branded sweatsuit. “Who does she think she is? She’s not Gucci… Why does she have a $500 sweatsuit?” The backlash went viral, eventually creating even more buzz for her brand. But as I watched the interview, it made me start to think about black owned luxury labels as a whole and the attitude that some of our own people carry when it comes to supporting mainstream luxury labels vs. supporting our own. Milano says, “I don’t think that we as black people understand our value.” As a stylist who recommends various brands to clients, I’ve had an up close view at what black consumers see as valuable and I couldn’t agree more with Milano.

There have been countless times I’ve watched black consumers either refuse or hesitate to support black luxury fashion labels, claiming that the merchandise is ridiculously overpriced. However, these are some of the very same consumers that will splurge on a designer belt from a traditional luxury label without a second thought. We see this pattern very often. It always makes me question what makes something “luxurious” and why we are so cautious when it comes to purchasing luxury pieces from black owned brands. There are literally hundreds of ways this question could be answered. But, looking at the history of black people and the consequential need we have to feel validated, one could of course say that our dependence upon certain mainstream design houses stem from a desire to be associated with the majority, or the race who is thought to be “superior” within our society. When a group of people have been enslaved, abused, denied opportunities to better themselves, and essentially set back for generations, there’s no question that all of that breeds generational curses and deep insecurities that can affect countless aspects of our lives, even down to our buying choices. Many of us may look at who we consider to be “well off” and ahead in life and think, whether conciously or subconsciously: “I want to shop where they shop. It will show the world that I am important, just like them.”And if this is the thought process we’re adopting when it comes to our shopping experiences, then personally I feel it’s time that we really think about how we define “luxury” within our lifestyles and possibly begin to redefine it for ourselves.

Models wearing Andrea Iyamah.

By definition, the word luxury is defined as “ the state of great comfort and extravagant living.” There have been so many black owned or black affiliated luxury brands that have come and gone. Very few have withstood the test of time while your traditional brands like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. have remained in the mix for as long as we can remember. While I’m well aware that there are multiple reasons for this, the one that we as a people can control is our ability to pour our money and support into brands that genuinely celebrate us, whether they be traditional and mainstream, emerging, or start ups.

Often times, I feel that we as black people are too hard on each other in business. We often complain and pick a brand apart when it comes to their price points, but splurge on other well known ones without question. We threaten to ruin new designers’ reputation with bad reviews when an item is slightly delayed, but when dealing with a major company we tend to grin and bear it. Don’t get me wrong, as a chronic perfectionist and a bargain lover, I definitely can relate on some fronts. But looking at the big picture, if we as black people truly want to leave our mark on the fashion industry, we have to be more patient and supportive of each other, especially when it comes to premium goods. This is when redefining luxury should come into play. We shouldn’t be ashamed or hesitant to give a new designer a try, as long as they are providing us with quality merchandise in materials that will sustain us for seasons to come, looks that inspire us and make us proud to wear them, and great customer service. To me, that should be our standard for luxury. Brands like Nichole Lynel, Laquan Smith (my fave ready to wear designer, period), Andrea Iyamah, India Monae, MWR Collection, and Sai Sankoh are just a few of the current black owned luxury labels who work tirelessly to maintain that standard. We should be open to them and brands similar, proud to wear them and proud to plug them.

Model wearing the Adorn Jacket by India Monae.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong at all with shopping a traditional luxury brand. I, myself CANNOT WAIT until I’m in a position to splurge on Fendi as that’s one of the mainstream brands that I covet the most. However, I think that more black consumers taking the time to discover and support emerging luxury labels that are black owned would only push the culture forward and open certain doors that we claim we so desperately want access to. This goes beyond just buying from them. It should also affect the ways we navigate the industry. For example, for all of the fashion hopefuls complaining that they can’t find employment or internship opportunities within the industry due to racism and discrimination, think of how many black owned brands would love to help their own people grow in the field, especially knowing that a majority of their sales has come from their own people. Additionally, supporting black owned luxury labels even as they are emerging would lead to us having more options when it comes to wearing a luxury brand; we wouldn’t necessarily have to opt for a design house that creates and sells racially demeaning merchandise to the very consumers that often support them.

Wearing creations by our own people with pride, providing constructive criticism that will give minority owned labels a chance to grow instead of tearing them down, and choosing to shop with brands that show respect to our people are a few of the ways that I feel we can redefine luxury, ensuring that blacks in fashion can have longevity in the industry and actually profit from it ourselves, heavily influencing the culture for years to come.

Sharra,

“The definition of walking art.”

Sources / Featured Brands : Fashion Bomb Daily, Andrea Iyamah, India Monae, Laquan Smith,MWR Collection, Nichole Lynel, Sai Sankoh

#NEWYORKFASHIONWEEK RECAP FEB 2019: BEING A STUDENT OF MY CRAFT AT THE SHOWS & SEASONAL STYLES TO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR

WRITTEN BY SHARRA GREENE | PHOTOS BY MONICA KRYSTEL ROSE

So this year for fashion week, I spent the days taking in runway shows, attending showcases, and capturing content with my boo Comfort, Style Blogger and Writer of CNK Stylebook (check her site out, her content is BOMB.) Comfort and I met a little over a year ago, as we were both doing press coverage for a charity fashion event in May 2018. I always love attending events with Comfort because we’re both about our business and constantly thinking of ways to grow our brands while having a dope time in the process.

This year’s NYFW experience was a little different than my experience back in September, being that I spent most of last year’s fashion week running around backstage, styling and perfecting designers’ collections before they hit the runway, with the exception of attending a BOMB group show sponsored by Fashion Bomb Daily on my last day. But this time, I got the opportunity to get dressed, flick it up, and just take it all in while in the audience. Though I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m right back in full stylist mode chaos, this trip was just what I needed.

We watched severals shows, with a few of my favorites being Ron Ramos, who brought sexy suiting in vibrant colors to the runway, Out of Order, the brand that brought us some of the dopest streetwear I’ve seen in a while, as well as a live showcase by Landeros New York, in which models sported lush outerwear in rich colors and fabrics, slick patent leather pieces, and cool trousers, an aesthetic that was unmatched. For some of my fave show moments, check out my events & NYFW highlights on my styling page’s instagram.

Me and Comfort grabbing drinks before a show, of course my drink is almost gone by the time we started taking pics lol.

One thing that I always try to do while attending a fashion show, is to be a student of my craft and really soak in the designer’s creativity by paying very close attention to detail. Everything from the color story and fabric range of a collection, to the models chosen, down to the way the stylist or designer has accessorized each look, really helps me be a better stylist. Studying the details, both big and small, allow me to see where fashion is going, in terms of trends, specific silhouettes, and just the overall culture.

I’m always on the look out for new styles that I want to try for myself, as well as some that I want to introduce to my clients and try on models. A few trends that I see emerging and making their way around for the upcoming seasons are dramatically oversized outerwear in eccentric shapes, suits and co-ords being done in vibrant colors such as magenta, royal blue, lime green and citrus, as well as patent leather separates. All of these are dope looks spotted on the runways to incorporate into your wardrobe for a look that’s ahead of the curve.

Shop our Looks: Comfort and I both channeled slight 70’s vibes for our Day1 looks. Comfort is wearing a two piece plaid set and white ankle boots from Nasty Gal, and a thrifted DKNY blazer (shop a similar one here) I am wearing a ribbed fringe sleeve mini dress by Akira, PLT studded belt and snakeskin thigh high boots, double disc earrings from Forever 21, vintage clutch, bangles and ring I got forever ago.

I always leave fashion week with a new found sense of creativity, and feeling so inspired. Whether working behind the scenes doing what I love, or watching it all take place, it’s always the best time for me to network, build connections, and get inspired. I already can’t wait to do it all again for September! What were some of you guys’ favorite designer collections this NYFW? Let me know in the comments!

Sharra,

“The definition of walking art.”