I don’t know if you can tell, but I am the anti-suit girl.  I hate wearing them on interviews but I also know it is to be expected.  I have preached to my fellow classmates your clothing is part f your brand, so what does it say about you.  Some of them don’t want to deal with it, and others request I go shopping with them.

Conference time is coming up for MBA students and mine begins with NBMBAA Conference in L.A. beginning Sept. 21.  What does a girl wear while she is trying to introduce herself to L’Oreal, Sony, Google, and Intel.  I don’t know yet, but it won’t be a suit.  So far I understand conferences are all business daytime, but over-the-top  fun night time.

I am inspired by this J. Mendel skirt on RueLaLA for $299

J. Mendel $299

I am thinking a pirate shirt and color shirt for evening.  I went to netaporter.com and check what they got.

Alexander McQueen $1195

Alberta Ferretti $540

Dolce & Gabbana $525

Roksanda Ilicinic $700

ACNE $200

Nine West $69 (piperlime.com)

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3 facts about me:

1. I am a grad student (not buying a plane tomorrow, prices need to be reasonable but I still know what I like.)

2. This fall will be the second time in my adult life where I actually need clothing for fall, and not switch the shorts with flip flops to jeans with flip flops.

3. Before this year you would never catch me in anything red.  I hated how the color looked on me.  Now I can’t wait to embrace it for fall.

With that in mind, I went to three different websites (http://www.bluefly.com/, http://www.net-a-porter.com, and ebay.com) to find the best looks in red.

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I spent the last three days in the fabulous Marth’s Vineyard.  My days and nights were filled up on a boat, in the sand, walking the island, and dancing in the clubs.  Needless to say, I needed sunscreen the whole weekend.  I slapped on my Neutrogena UltraSheer Liquid Sunblock and discovered how much lighter the sunblock felt.  It was never heavy on my skin.

The lightness of the sunblock was unfamiliar to my brain so I found myself constantly applying more sunblock because I couldn’t tell if I was fully covered.  I allowd my friends to put some on too, and they also enjoyed the lightness of the liquid.

I never felt like the sunblock was sticky to my skin, and the sea water did not eat away at the liquid.

I walked away from Martha’s Vineyard with a slight tan, and healthy skin.

Overall, I would say it is a good product, but the lightness of the liquid takes some getting use to.

Would you like to review products, too? Then go to http://giantwavepool.com !

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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I knew it was going to happen eventually.  The one guy who lies throughout his profile.  You know, starting with the height, then the age, then the pictures from 20 years ago.  You have a suspicion things are not matching up, but you figure because it is your first date from match.com, perche non. Lesson learned.  You need to stay away from the ones who are lying off the bat.  By the time the date ended I felt like I just went through the rabbit hole to dating hell. Even though the signs were there I agreed to meet the guy, he is Italian, cute face (20 years ago) and took control in planning the date.  I agreed to meet him at the W then he decided to meet at another restaurant/bar in the Back Bay. Understand, again, I am 5’7″ which is not tall, but in Boston I feel I am giant compared to some of the men.  On his profile he claimed to be 5’6, haha, he really was 5’4.  Okay I could understand sensitivity due to his height, so I will continue the date.  We sat at the bar right in front of the  big screen tv, where he ordered a beer and I ordered a glass of wine. I could tell he was nervous even though he claimed he wasn’t.  I will be honest i have no clue what we talked about for the first ten minutes.  I remember he thought I was very attractive and that is it. Somehow, he mentioned several times he thought the waitress was really cute, but she needed to gain 80lbs.  He also was looking for America’s Next Top Model but she would have to gain an extra 50lbs.  I advised him I didn’t think it was good to talk about other girls on the date, he said I misunderstood him because he “didn’t want to sleep with them” he just thought they were cute. Than the truth comes out. .. continue reading ..

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Welcome to my new dating blog, Datinganddior.com. I decided to move the dating info from glamourgirlnow.com, because I chose for it to be more professional while the dating experience is very personal.  All the archived dating warriors stories have been moved over to datinganddior.com.

Who am I

31 year old grad student, female, and African-American

Where am I meeting the boys

Out and about, and I recently signed up for Match.com after Ms. Green’s success.

What am I looking for?

Honestly, I am looking for great dates. I use to think I wanted to be engaged by 32, and it would be great if it happened, but I am ok with just dating and seeing who is out there.

Why blog about it?

Because some of these dates are just crazy, insane, and weird. Hopefully, most will be wicked fun.

What about the dating warriors?

Some of the girls are still dating and some are in relationships. We all talk on a regular basis, and no no one is married or engaged or has kids, yet.

Who is Dior?

Christina Dior is an infamous high fashion designer from the 1940s and 50s and he created many iconic pieces from that time period. Christian Dior is my fashion husband. Dior represents my love of fashion, and my belief that clothes are a true expression of who you are, and your chance to paint a wonderful picture. Dior is the fashion segment of dating and my suggestions in putting your best foot forward.

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The bartender and I met the old fashion way, via a Starbucks line. He spoke and I heard that lovely Irish accent, and immediately asked where he was from. He happily told me Ireland and asked me to sit with him. We talked for about thirty minutes before he asked if I had been to Harvard Square. I advised him “Not yet” and we made plans that Monday to meet for some drinks.

The guy was truly outside my box of guys I normally date. He was only 5’8 and super slim, and already bald at age 32. He did have gorgeous long blond eyelashes though, and a very deep thinking look about him.

Monday after class I headed towards Harvard Square. He text me and let me know he was running late. I was starving at this point and ordered a pizza and beer without him. He finally arrived and ordered is drink. Within 15 minutes of us talking he immediately reached for my hand, and started rubbing it.

Ok I am seriously not that chick. I don’t do PDA. In my longest relationship I never did PDA. We made out once in a club and I saw the photos and knew never to do it again. I don’t mind little things of affection or a peck here and there, but full out hand holding and thigh rubbing in public is not me. Rubbing my back actually makes me more stiff. I suck I know, but I just don’t like it.

After I told him this, his response is that he is a huge PDA guy and nothing wrong with hand holding. We left dinner and he immediately grabbed my hand. Oh no. I snapped it back. He took notice. He took me to another trademark bar in Harvard Square, and this time moved from trying to hold my hand to rubbing my back. I think he was determined to win the PDA war. I don’t know if it was the kamikaze shot, the thick accent, or the exhaustion from school, but I stopped fighting it, in the bar. He also brought on the charm. You are very beautiful, I don’t understand why you don’t have a boyfriend, yadda yadda yadda.

Then the words came out. “I really see you as girlfriend material do you see me as boyfriend material.” Wait, wait, wait. Are we there yet? Dude, I just met you. I can’t answer that question you have to give me time. I don’t think he liked my response and excused himself to the bathroom. While he was gone another guy came up and was trying to get my number, but I had to turn him down because it would be bad karma and Mr. PDA already showed strong jealous signs when other guys were talking to me in the evening. Plus, I can’t multi-task on a date.

In the end, I realized I wasn’t attracted to him when he asked to kiss me and my immediate response was don’t put your tongue in my mouth. Yep, I was a prude, and I am never a prude.

The date ended with a hug and a peck and a $10 taxi ride back home. There was no calling, just some texting

Mr:PDA: You are one of the best kissers and I like your lips
Me: Is that all you remember about me
Mr. PDA: Your short skirt
Me: that’s it
Mr. PDA: yes
Me: perfect all you need is my skirt and lips on another chick and you are set.

I now it came out rude, but seriously, No.

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I received a lot of flack for the tan guess shoes I bought.  Facebook friends wondered if I could walk in them and family members wondered if they were practical.  My response to both is yes and yes.  I bought the shoes above because the represent both sides of my fashionista personality.  The modern vintage shoes on the left are definitely my fun party girl 5 inch personality.  They are comfortable and fun at the same time.  Are these shoes meant to be worn every night, no.  They are meant for the special nights of good times.  The tan guess shoes are for my good girl needs to be taller side.  They are less comfortable, and will probably be worn less than the modern vintage heels, but I know they convey a more subtle and feminine side to me.

The point is, you don’t have to justify your likes of fashion to anyone (possible the credit card company one day.)  You have the choice to live in flats, flip flops, or cowboy boots or 6 inch heels.  It is all about your comfort zone and what story you would like to tell with your outfit.  You are also allowed to show the different personalities of yourself with apologizing.  I wear flip flops and converse sneakers as much as I wear my heels.  I always bring a large enough clutch to put in a pair of flip flops for the in-between party moment of when my feet need a break.

I hope my advice is well rounded enough to appeal to every fashion personality you have.  If one day you are not digging what I put out there maybe the next day I might present something more your style.  For me fashion is about putting your best heel, bracelet, earring, Birkin forward.  it’s about presenting the best you.

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I have officially ended my first winter in New England and went crazy buying a bunch of summer shoes.  I realized I have a lot of meetings and conferences I am trying to attend this summer, so sandals take a back seat to professional shoes and clothing. I headed out to my favorite budget friendly shoe store, DSW, to see what I can find that will bring a smile to my feet. I found 3 great shoes, flats, high heels, and casual fridays.

Conference shoes. You spend so much time walking, standing and networking at conferences that high heels or even kitten heels feel like a burden sometimes.  They are from Anne Klein flex and are meant for long walks.  I know a lot of women stay away from the pointed toe because of the squeeze on the toes.  I suggest you go up 1/2 to 1 full size in pointed shoes.  You will thank me later.

The statement shoes.  Beige, nude, light neutrals, brown, tan, light brown and whatever else you want to call this color, it doesn’t matter just get these guess shoes.  The color is great for the summer. math them with a navy or blue skirt, fun flirty dress, or some professional cropped pants.  The shoes will present confidence as you give presentations, go for interviews, or in getting recognition.or just have fun at happy hour.  I was asked yesterday if this color was meant for darker skin ladies, and I say yes.  They look great on every skin tone.  The color goes great with navy and browns.  Plus the inches  (5 inches) will make your calves look awesome.  These shoes are not meant for long walks in the park, unless you are a professional high high heel wearer.

Casual friday.  Finally, casual friday has arrived but you still want to dress up.  These heels by madden girl give the perfect casual friday denim look, but would look great with an a line skirt or sheath dress.  It allows you to look relaxed as you prepare for the summer weekend fun to begin.

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These are my top five choices for best dressed at the Met Gala last Monday. The theme was the American Woman. The American Woman has always represented self-confidence in what she wants out of life. I chose the gowns not just because they are gorgeous, but also self-confidence exuded by their wearers. Please scroll over pics to see why I chose each woman.

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I know that most of you applying or getting ready to go to an MBA program feel pretty confident in your self-awareness.  Self-awareness has led you to the schools you applied to and eventually accepted.  It led you to the bachelors you already have and the job you currently do.  Self-awareness lets you know if you are a douche who needs to tone it down or the wallflower that needs to pump it up.

I have always been told I am confidently self-aware of who I am.  I agree I know who I am, but I wasn’t self-aware of whom I am in business.  See, after analyzing my leadership skills, fellow students leadership skills, and plenty of Harvard Business Review articles on leadership skills, I realize I was not being innovative with my leadership I was just being a copy cat I had some incredible bosses, and I had some real doozers, but they were effective in getting things done.  I tended to hangout in the middle.

I confidently knew how to pick my outfit in the morning, but I wasn’t always confident of leading a team of 20 people.  Most of time I would just be a puppet and regurgitate whatever my boss needed to be said or done with the team.  I didn’t feel confident some of my suggestions or separate leadership style would bring me success.  I wasn’t self-aware of how I presented myself or how my presence affected others around me.  I always smiled and was helpful, but I wasn’t a true leader, because I didn’t understand what it meant.

Self-awareness isn’t who you want to be either.  It is who you are today.  Yes, I believe people and personalities are fluid and we all can change and become so much more than we are today, but I want to start with today.  Four months ago, my self-awareness would have been falsified towards who I wish I was, today I know it is definitely who I am. As you can tell, so far, leadership and self-awareness go hand in hand.  One does not exist without the other.  This is looking beyond the title of your position in a company.  You can be a manager with no concept of self-awareness; eventually you will realize your employees do not have 100% confidence in you because you don’t know who you are.  This goes for a CEO, CFO, entrepreneur, customer service rep, and janitor.

How do you become more self-aware: take some personality tests.  Ask 3 friends to describe your strengths and weaknesses and see the common factors they give you.  What are your values?  Make a list of things you believe are good and bad.  I know this comes across as simple but when you are in an ethical dilemma or working with a difficult employee, in order to remain on the side of success you have to know who you are.

Takeaway: Leadership does not exist without self-awareness. A

rticles explaining importance of self-awareness and leadership:

How to Crack the Self Awareness Paradigm HBR

Self-Awareness and the Effective Leader Inc.com

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