I'm giving so much face in this picture lol

H&M peplum lace top & necklace, ASOS trousers, Express earrings, Michael Kors watch, Nine West pumps

This past Thursday I celebrated with my friend Shawna in NYC for Fashion's Night Out.  For those of us who don't know what FNO is, it is a global initiative (started in NYC 2009) sponsored by Vogue and CFDA.  Since its start, Fashion's Night Out has expanded to cities all over the country, and is now worldwide.  It's a way to kick off NYC's Fashion Week, as well as encouraging us to buy as much designer fall collections as we can afford... But let me tell you, it felt like the whole city was partying that night!

Shawna shutting it down in a Joie top, DVF high waisted slacks, Gucci watch, and Saks Fifth Avenue Black Label platforms.  We couldn't walk a block w/o someone complimenting her on her fabulosity! 

Now that we got the outfits out of the way, I shall continue!

We were coming from Central Park West in Harlem, where we had our mini photoshoot, and heading straight to the Meatpacking District for DVF! 

On our way, we stopped by the QVC set up, got some free goodies, and spotted Issac Mizrahi doing an interview.

We also popped in Hugo Boss, but it was extremely overcrowded, and I didn't have the patience. However, we managed to snap a pic before leaving of course!

Once we arrived at DVF, this was the line- at least 4 people wide, and wrapped around the whole entire building. BUMMER!

As we were peeping out the front of the line, I bumped into Emijaa Jaaemil, whose blog I follow (vice versa).  It's always great to finally meet bloggers in person (lovely to meet you)!  There was no way we were getting in the end of the line, and I was a little disappointed since DVF was the only place I truly wanted to go to... (Here comes the crazy story).

As we're just kind of hanging in line (that we basically skipped), about 50 feet from the door (with NO signs of getting in), Shawna spots a friend of hers, says hello, and about a minute later we're all inside of DVF!  Total wait time: Five minutes (please reference pic above of to see the line).

It was so perfect, one of those "Only in New York" moments I suppose!

Gotta love those male models.. I wonder how much he got paid for passing out hours d' oeuvres? 

 

Once we were inside, we had to wait a few minutes to get to the other side, its fantastic 4-flight staircase awaiting us.  When we get to the other side, who do I run into, but my good friend Katrina!

We actually tried making plans to meet up, but we kind of fell off finalizing anything, and it happened anyway! #meanttobe <3

Here's a video I captured of Diane in all her fabulousness.  She's funny, captivating, and is apparently a democrat!  She also immediately noticed that Shawna was rocking her own (DVF) pants.  And y'all already know Solange is my girl!  She is my style icon, and so beautiful!  She was dj-ing some great tunes too!  Peep the vid below: 

After DVF, we met up with my our friends Katherine and Fred and grabbed dinner at an Italian spot in Soho.  It was great to see them, and peep Katherine's sleek all black, but very textual look!    She's rocking a Zara top, pants from TJ Maxx, Nine West boots, and Marc Jacobs necklace.  Get it!

This week on instagram (you can follow me @krisbliss), I also feed the photos daily to my FB page here:

It was a blast!  I got to see my friends, hang in the city, and I always love the energy and indulge in great conversation when I'm there!  I spotted a lot of great neck candy, and it was fun being snapped by street style photogs!  That night there was like no cell phone service in the city!  Did anyone who went experience that?  Next year I am definitely wearing more comfortable shoes- I don't know why I thought I could last in 5 inch heels all night lol!  How are you all keeping up with NYFW?  I can't wait to watch all the runway shows online!

Have a great week!

-Kris

c/o Sugarlips top, Citizens of Humanity jeans, Tory Burch flats, H&M necklace, Michael Kors watch.

Hey guys!  I hope everyone had a relaxing and fun Labor Day weekend!  I spent mine mostly working, but did go out to karaoke with some coworkers & friends on Sunday, and we a blast!  I sang a lil' Chaka Khan... Not to toot my own horn but... LOL

How cute is this shirt?  A special thanks to Sugarlips for gifting it to me!  I love the color, but fell more in love with the sleeves!  Tres chic!  Be sure to check out their site- they have cute and affordable clothing & accessories!

Last night, I went on a movie date with my best friend Lei to see Sparkle (FINALLY)!  Besides the fact that none of the girls could actually dance (it was quite awkward to watch honestly), and the singing, umm........ I would say it was a "decent" movie, but definitely no comparison to the original.  Would I buy it on dvd?  YES.  Whitney kilt it as usual, she played her roll well in my opinion.  I still can't believe she's gone!  The fashionista in me immediately noticed the impecable costuming throughout the film- I wish I had a handful of Sparkle and her sister "D's" pieces in my current wardrobe!!

This week on instagram (you can follow me @krisbliss), I also feed the photos daily to my FB page here:

I'll be headed to NYC's Fashion's Night Out on Thursday, which I'm super excited about (my first time going EVER), and I'll be meeting up with some college girlfriends, so I know I'll have a great time!

I've also been featured on natural hair site, BGLH, aka, Black Girls with Long Hair, and I'd love it if you would check it out!  Thanks!

Have a great week, and hope to see some of you in the city for FNO!

-Kris

Hi guys!!!  Yes it has (once again) been too long since I've posted, but you know how I do (I'll get better, I promise)!

I actually am geting better!  I started doing an #ootd or "outfit of the day" on my instagram so you can actually see what I wear on a daily basis, since I'm not able to post it on the blog everyday!!  Check me out @krisbliss, and I also feed the photos daily onto my FB page here.

How have you all been?  I hope well!  I can't believe summer is wrapping up... It's sad in a way, but I'm kind of ready for fall weather (and more importantly), fall fashion!

Wearing H&M cropped blazer, F21 top, Gap skinny trousers, Joan & David sandals, Michael Kors rose gold watch.  Lipstick "Girl Around Town" by M.A.C.

I've been feeling so inspired by all the new changes in my life!  It's phenomenal!  I mentioned in this post here that I landed a new job, which I started about a week and a half ago, and I'm absolutely LOVING it so far!  I have my own office/bathroom, and of course I've already started to decorate it!  I'm getting some great ideas via Pinterest!  Once it's all finished, I'll share with you some photos, probably on my instagram!

Have a terrific rest of your week, and a lovely weekend!

-Kris

Big hair don't care!  Well, actually, my hair wasn't THIS puffy when I first got it straightened, but humidity immediately kicked in (as soon as I stepped out the salon) and went to work on my hair lol... But it's still cute I think!

I filled you guys in on everything in my last post, and I'm still off of a high from all the great changes in my life!  Summer has been the jam, and this weekend will be as well!

 I'm headed to Firefly Music Festival, a 3-day music festival in Delaware, featuring loads of bands and artists!  I'm most excited to see The Black Keys, John Legend, Allen Stone, Lupe Fiasco, and Girl Talk, just to name a few!  The festival will also have a vineyard, hot air ballon rides, and an arcade... It's gonna be crazy!  I'm going with a coworker of mine, and we're camping!  Now.  I'm not exactly the "camping type," and I'd obviously choose a hotel over camping (but they were all booked), sooo, this was my only option.  I've been really nervous about the whole non-showering, dirty hippie thing, but I'm bringing TONS of baby wipes, and other toilet trees/hand sanitizing, disinfecting materials, haha!

Hair wise, I'm keeping it NATURAL obvi, but I plan to take loads of pictures, and will keep u guys updated via twitter and instagram (@krisbliss), so make sure you follow me!

On to the outfit, I saw this dress on Zara's site and immediately gasped!  I love it!  I feel like a modern day Tina Turner (although she is timeless) with this leather fringe number!  The top is from F21, as well as the necklace, and the shoes are Rachel Roy.  Another new addition, the gold wrap bracelet, was one I picked up at a local boutique.  My new favorite!

I gotta get back to my check off list for Firefly... I still have a little more shopping to do before the weekend! 

-Kris

Hey guys!  Like my pants?  Yes they're pants, not a skirt!  I picked these up over at Loose Threads Boutique.  I absolutely love their stuff! 

So much has happened since my last post!  All great things too!  Hmm, where do I start.... 

Well, I finally landed a big girl job!!  Finally, two years after graduating college, I have landed a career oriented job!  I don't want to put alllll my bidness in the streets, but let's just say, I'll be working in "marketing" and "music..." Two things I love to do!  And I also got a brand new whip to get me to and from this new job (and of course anywhere else I would like to go!!).  Things are finally falling into place!  I am oh so grateful!

It's been a looonnnnnng journey getting to this point.  I kept my values, and continued to work hard.  I never gave up, and God made it happen!  I prayed on this every single night (landing a job), continued to trust in Him, and He made it happen for me!  There had been so many opportunities prior to this one that just didn't work out, or fell through, or turned out not to be the right fit for me, but I never stopped looking.  I'm not trying to get all preachy on y'all, but seriously, having faith is so important!  Because I never stopped trying, I finally found the right opportunity for me!  I want to say a big THANK YOU to all my family and friends, who have been so supportive of me through this process.  Thank you so much!!

On a lighter note, here is what I've been up to (since once again I haven't been posting on TKB regularly)...

Follow me on instagram @krisbliss

... Lots of eating, pooling, trips to NYC...

I had a mini reunion with some college friends this past June, and we met up at Brooklyn Bowl to see Solange do a dj set.  We had a blast!  I wore this exact outfit actually, but I kept tripping over my pants when walking up steps.  I almost busted my arse the second time I tripped... I'm sure people thought I was twisted, but nope.  It was just me being clumsy haha!

Wearing AA cropped sleeveless top, Loose Threads pants, Rachel Roy heels

I also think I celebrated the 4th of July holiday a little too hard this time around.  I attended 3 BBQ's, and ate each time like it was my last meal.  Not cute.  I'm cutting back on the cals next week to balance out my food rage.  Maybe a couple push ups and crunches wouldn't hurt either LOL.

lol @ my face.

Summer has been good to me so far, and I am really excited to start my new job next month!  And with a new car, I'll have to unfortunately decrease my spending (I will Mom, promise!!)... Kris is growing up.  I'm so ready!

Happy Friday!

-Kris

My mom is so not a fan of this pose.  This one's for you Mom!

Say hello to my new favorite top!  I wore this tunic to a graduation I attended a couple weeks ago, and I got a lot of compliments on it!  I found it at a great boutique in my area called Loose Threads.  It's so easy breezy, and I love the daintiness of it too.  Tres fem!  I actually originally wore it with no pants... Aka worn as a dress.  For the most part I pulled it off, but there were some gusts of wind that almost embarrassed me a couple times that day (LOL).

Wearing a Dolce Vita top via Loose Threads Boutique , Citizens of Humanity jeans, Joan & David heels, Loft snakeskin clutch, Target turquoise earrings

The graduation was held at Lehigh University, where these pictures were actually taken.  Lehigh is a great school with a beautiful campus!  I love walking around the area (which is the historical part of my town).  There's just so much beautiful architecture and agriculture there!

I know it's been awhile since my last post, and I apologize... But for you readers that have been with me for awhile, you know how I just need to pull back sometimes... Now that summer is practically here, I should be flowin' baby!  Thanks for your patience!  And you can always holler at me on twitter if I'm slacking on posting!  Some of you already do! :P

There is one thing that I've been doing for a little over a month that I wanted to share.  I was speaking with my friend Tavonna not too long ago, and she told me, "I do something everyday for myself.  You should always do something for yourself every single day."

It got me thinking, and heck yes she is right!  I should be doing something for myself everyday- that makes me happy!  At the time I was in such a slum, and she brought to light that this could be a way to get myself out of it.  Now, this doesn't have to be intense pampering or anything grandiose... Just something that puts a smile on your face and gets you going!  You give what you get.  Putting positive energy out into the universe should result in it coming back full circle!  It starts with you! 

If you find that you don't do something for yourself everyday, start!  Find out what makes you happy and start incorporating that into your life on a more consistent basis until it becomes routine!

For me, especially since I was going through something at the time, with all the changes, it was nice to have something steady and constant that I could look forward to doing!  It really helped me find balance and stability again.  And I still do those little things that make Kris happy everyday :)

Reflecting on all of this, it's funny how things happen at certain times, but then everything ends up falling right into place when you least expect it to.

Happy Friday!!

-Kris

The other day, I was just breezing through my archives, and came across a blog post I wrote on my opinons on dating called "It's been on my mind."  I reread the post and comments, and it had me reflecting.  A little shy of a year later, have my opinions changed?  Do I still hold the same viewpoints and values then that I do now?  Before proceeding, you may want to read or breeze through the earlier post.

Where I was emotionally at that time was single, frustrated, and confused.  My main questions were:

                                                    1. Technology and social media negatively impact how my generation communicates.

                                                    2. Why don't men want to date?

                                                    3. Does traditional dating exist in my generation?

Based on my experiences and the feedback I'd received since then, I feel that men do want to date, but there are factors that can negatively attribute to their perspectives on relationships.  "Due to outside pressures such as (popular society culture) men are not allowed to express such thoughts... If one can not express his own thoughts publicly, may he neglect to think of those thoughts personally? -Bernadette


I was speaking to my friend Bernie about how our generation is so heavily influenced by the media and technology, that it can be a hinderance in regards to in person communication.  She stated, "When actually on a date, smart phones might as well have their own seat, as people pay more attention to their phone than their own date."  There's just that lack of attention and connection, and we need get to get back to being able to communicate on a functional and personal level comfortably, without hiding behind the keyboard.  In a metaphorical sense, worrying about outside elements that have nothing to do with your relationship, can also bring cause to issues, as your focus isn't between you and the person you are with, more so on what OTHER people are thinking about YOUR relationship.  Of course in long distance relationships, the use of technology is a great way of staying connected and closing the distance gap between you and your partner.  Skype, email, instant messaging, etc. makes distance and separation easier to handle, and actually increases that element of connection between both people. 

Moving on to re-answering my three main questions, here are some of the comments I had received from men in regards to, "Why don't men want to date?"



My family friend Aaron stated: 


"Some people might have to grow in several dimensions. For example, a man who wants 'instant gratification' today, may very well be a family man in the future. Question is, do you want to follow a path with that amount of growth? If yes, make the adjustments, define some boundaries, and be patient."



My friend Mario actually had written his own blog post in response to mine.  Here's an excerpt: 


"I still believe in dating, and good conversation and true compatibility through non-sexual communication. I think it's essential to find that connection, because it is what will keep that relationship afloat when good looks and bedroom antics get old.  I do think more mature men care about finding the right match. It is sadly true that us men do mature a bit slower than women do mentally, so good luck finding that maturity in a man under 25-27 years of age, but it exists.  Men Still Want to Date."

Wearing a blazer & jeans from F21, gifted leopard scarf, The Loft snakeskin clutch, Franco Sarto shoes via Marshalls, Old Navy t-shirt

I've also received feedback via twitter from my blog readers on their relationship experiences...


"Me and my boyfriend have been dating for 5 years now. Only after a year of dating each other, I moved out of town, making our relationship long distance. At first everything was good. But then after a few months of us being separated, things got really hard between us. We started fighting and our trust between each other was not as strong as before. This had been going on for a few more months, until we almost broke up. This scared the s*** out of me because we were friends for so long, and I realized that I can't lose him to distance. So I had a serious talk with him about how I was feeling, and we agreed that long distance shouldn't break something so valuable. We started to communicate more, which led to us trusting again. All in all, my advice is: If you know you really care for someone, work to make it work. Three years has passed since then, and I don't have one regret in my decision." -Nicole




"I wasn't much of a relationship type of guy. Honestly, you could have called me a "player." This all stopped when I met my girlfriend (now fiance) through a friend. We instantly hit it off, becoming close friends within a couple months. Knowing my "bad guy" ways that used to lead me to these "not so good girls," I realized this was something more, and didn't want to mess it all up. I told her about my past and she (thank God) was willing to stick it out. I'm not going to lie, it was NOT easy, but I have to give it to her... Her patience was everything.  Seeing her commitment and having her by my side made me want to change for the better. A little over 2 years latter, I decided to ask her THAT question!" -Craig

My last original question, "Does traditional dating exist in our generation?"


A factor could be our current society.  Many women (at one point, including myself), questioned if men truly want to date us today because of how we see our parents, who grew up in a generation of young marriage.  We are now the same age as our parents were when they got married, so we're wondering why we're not at that point in our lives today.  Example: The average age of marriage in the 1970's-1980's was 22-25 years old.  Today, it's 28-33 years old.  We may have expectations in that regard, as well as the traditional standards of which dating should entail.  Opening doors, paying for meals, walking on the street side of the sidewalk...  Furthermore, another contribution to slower maturation rates between women and men are the way society raises them.  Women are raised first as dainty girls with Barbie and Ken dolls,  instilling in them the importance of marriage and finding a husband, dreaming of their wedding day, etc.  Men are raised as tough boys to be strong, non-emotional, and to grow up and get a good job.  So naturally, women get to that place before men ever have to think about "settling down."

 So then I ask Bernie, "So given all these outside factors that play upon a relationship and may potentially destroy a relationship (depending on an individual's sense of stability and knowing oneself)... How do you make a relationship work?  How do you save a relationship from breaking?  How do you keep a good relationship going?"

Communication As I've already mentioned, communication is key.  Without it results in increased assumption, misinterpretation, loss of focus and levelness between each other, and all around confusion, if you don't communicate with your partner!  Remember, your partner canNOT read your mind.  Establish communication from the beginning.  HEAR and LISTEN to your partner and respect and realize their needs and desires. P.S. Leave the pride at home.  Pride does not work in relationships.  Too proud to communicate?  Too proud to show affection?  Too proud to step down and abide to another person's needs?  As Bernie would say, "You are not ready."  LOL!

Trust One thing I've realized from my personal experiences is that people trust at different speeds.  I myself am a pretty good reader of people, so I know off the bat whether I can trust you or not.  Some may trust a person after being at risk in a situation where they see that other person came through for them.  Other people just continue to spend time and experiences with that other person which ultimately leads to their trust.  In the meantime, the best you can do is be yourself, be there for that person, and in time you should gain their trust.  However, trust is not merely, "Will this person hurt me? Will this person cheat on me? Will this person lie to me?"  If you look at trust in this way, you are going down a path that will always lead to distrust, furthermore, never giving that person a chance to earn your trust in the first place.  Trust is far beyond any of that.  "Will this person help me grow? Would I trust this person with my inner most fears? Will I trust this person to tell me when I need to fix a negative trait, and not only point the finger, but be there for me when I need help confronting this problem?"  Trust involves willing to risk your emotional abilities, realizing that you can't control everything, and that you do have to rely on somebody else.  Additionally, a lot of people don't look at an individual for themselves.  Past experience has a lot to do with a person's general outlook in regards to trust, but people easily carry on pain to the next person they get involved with, and never treat that next person as their equal.  For instance, if a woman has a bad experience with a man she thought was genuine and ended up just wanting to get in her pants, why wouldn't she think the next guy wouldn't do that?  Generalizations are no good going into new relationships because right off the bat, just by being in that person's presence, you already have something going against you, from those past experiences. 

Commitment/Work There is no such thing as "the perfect relationship."  A relationship is work between two people, not a domination of one person to a subordinate other.  Relationships won't always be even, but when they become uneven in any way, it is you and your partner's job to realize that and figure out how to balance it.  BOTH people involved have to WANT to make it work.  After establishing YES I want to work, there is mass effort that must be done, because there is also no such thing as an effortless relationship.  You two may be effortlessly compatible, but it is effort that elongates compatibility into an ongoing relationship.  When hitting these rocky roads, you have to see them as speed bumps, not stop signs.  Long distance relationships require more work and commitment, and no you don't have to be in the same place to build trust, but you both have to have it on your mind.  Both people have to be committed to increase trust,  and be involved with getting the other one ready.  Again, putting your emotional vulnerability out there for the other person to see... Demonstrating support, willingness, etc., that will ultimately grow into love. 

Compatibility Many people believe you have to be the same type of person to be compatible.  Not true.  I naturally tend to go for someone who has the same values as I, but not the same personality or job field.  If not, what are we learning from each other?  Things I personally find important are values, energy between my partner and I, long term goals, being a driven individual, creativity... Others may believe that once in a relationship, you turn into one person.  Not quite, and no thank you (lol).  A relationship is two individuals complimenting each other.  Where one has a fault, the other tries to help.  You help each other grow.  You learn to love the strengths and the weaknesses.  You don't eliminate each other's individuality, you love the person for who they are and who they can be.

Room for Growth People grow and learn life lessons at different times, different speeds, or may not recognize certain insights at all.  Remember and respect your partner's ideas and opinions.  Although you may not agree, get to know the deeper issues of your partner.  Many times, superficial issues that you may see and deem as fault, may very well be a result of a bad experience in the past.  Have compassion and understand why people do certain things.  How do we do that?  ASK.  OBSERVE.  GROW TOGETHER.  Confront the issue to your partner in a genuine manner, and work together in finding WHY he/she feels that way.  Continuously work with your partner in flushing out the negativity so that he/she may grow.  Not just for the relationship, but as a person.  That is why there is such importance in time, focus and effort... If you see potential for growth in your relationship, be that companion for the betterment of each other.  Using the tools of communication, trust, commitment and work, your compatibility, and room for growth will keep you in the right mindset for potential sustaining a healthy relationship overall!

I'm obviously no relationship guru, but in all this reflecting, I am finding that there are things that I do well, things I can work on, and things I wasn't even aware of before writing this post.  By sharing this knowledge, I hope you all reading, will be able to get something out of this post as well.  Relationships are a constant work in progress, that involve many elements... But all we can do, as humans, is try the best we can to make them work  :-)

-Kris

Hope you enjoyed the post!  Let's open another discussion.  I want to know your thoughts and opinions, so make sure to leave a comment!

I assisted my mother on a photography gig this past weekend in Philly, and while we were there, we decided to capture one of our favorite murals in the city.  Philly is known for their murals all around the city, which originally started as an anti-graffiti tactic, through the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network (1984).  These folks reached out to the graffiti writers in an attempt to redirect their artistic energies into a positive light!  Now there are over 3,000 murals in the city, all expressing history through art! For more information, and to view some of these murals, click HERE

    My mother was born and raised in Philly, and I was born there as well.  My Pop Pop still lives in Philly, so anytime we are there, we always stop by!  I had to hit up the water ice stand around the corner from his house to get my usual mango water ice + a soft pretzel with mustard.  A very Philly thing to do (Rita's doesn't even compare to this)!

Before leaving the city, we decided to stop by the Sakura Sunday Festival at the Cherry Blossom Park.  Here are some photos I took :)

The other day I met up with the bestie Lei and we chilled at the park.  Girl talk, sun bathing, nail painting, and laughs.  We eventually got hungry and went out for sushi, as usual (we're addicts lol).  I've had such a  great week, and it's fun showing off my city to you guys!  I hope you enjoyed the pics!

I'm also looking forward to the weekend, you have a great one!

-Kris

Hey guys!  It's been a minute, how is everyone?

F21 blouse, ASOS pants, Nine West slingback wedges

I am so ready for Spring and Spring colors!  I love the color fuchsia!

My life is changing.  Various aspects of my life have all changed within the past month or so.  Some good and some... Different.  On one side, I am actually moving forward!  Things that were holding me back are no longer, and I am very excited to start living my life without those burdens!  Other changes are things I have no control over that I knew would eventually happen.  Adapting to these changes is the true test God is giving me, and I am up for the challenge!  I can honestly say that I have come to terms with all of these changes, and all I can do is keep living my life!  I do believe everything happens for a reason, and I need to remember that God's plan, versus our own personal plans, don't always align.  I know He has big plans for me, so I am no longer stressing anything!  Things will happen when they are supposed to happen!

What about you guys?  Do you ever feel like you try so hard to achieve something, but it doesn't seem to happen the way you want it to?  I feel like we all just have to keep open minds, and continue to strive for these goals, and everything will eventually fall into place!

On another note, here's my new YouTube hair style tutorial, check it out if you're interested!

Best,


-Kris