Photography by: Jamaal D. Lathan

There was a solemn silence in a room full of people and an almost slow mo’d feeling of excruciating pain that encompassed every inch of my body and soul mentally and physically. As I lay in the hospital bed, my love on my side, the sound of echoing silence in my womb, traveling the road to sobering up from the liquid medicine that was intended to take the edge off, I heard a sweet song being sung to my firstborn daughter, Koi D’Vae, by my grandmother…”You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” Yellow became her color… gone too soon, but forever in our hearts…We commemorated her on her day, February 4th, which is now coined “Koi Day,” and in remembrance of her, I honored her with a yellow ribbon to signify the light that forever shines in my heart.

We all know that Valentines Day is approaching and perfectly birthed in the month of love, my daughter showed me what unconditional love feels like. Some of you may be dreading the economy-boosting holiday for your own personal reasons and I totally get it. However, it really doesn’t have to be a day or month for you and your man. Love comes in all forms and can be shared in any relationship, so expressing this love with those people should obviously be a daily activity but it also can inspire you to do something a little more extravagant on top of that daily dose of shared love.  First and foremost, loving yourself after God should be number one on your list. Self-care, self-preservation, self-love is more important than any relationship and is to be used to segue you into being able to share the love with someone else. How can you truly love someone else and not love yourself?

If you’re single, overdose in self-love or shared love with friends and family. Here’s a couple of ideas for single ladies that have a lot of love to give…

• Spa day with facial, massage, mani and pedi
• Cook yourself your favorite meal, cozy up on the couch with your favorite book and detach from the day by soaking  in a luxurious tub filled with scented bath oils or lush bath bombs
• Get your hair done and buy yourself something you absolutely love
• Get your favorite girl gang together and plan a day or week full of exciting new things to do, by exploring unchartered parts of your city and trying new cuisines
• Plan a sleepover with your best friends and talk about how stupid boys are all night, lol
• Plan an all-girls trip to a place that you all will enjoy
• Plan a fulfilling day with your kids and make them goodie baskets

There are so many ways to indulge in self-love and participate in spreading love to others, just have fun, be creative and don’t stress over the absence of a man if there is one. You love yourself enough to not settle for any man, so celebrate the power and strength that takes to accomplish that.

Styling: This look was an inspiration for a dressy/casual look that you could wear while you’re celebrating you or others. Incorporating a little sliver of red to signify the upcoming holiday, I draped a striped shirt over a striped jumpsuit and let it hang off of my shoulder for a relaxed vibe and played with a stripe on stripes theme for a crisp and clean effect. I added in gold accessories and gold pumps to give the look a little glam and a neutral pair of sunnies for a modern feel. What do you guys think about the look? Would you consider wearing it or creating your own rendition of it? If you’re struggling with outfit ideas for the upcoming holiday, there’s still time to get you styled! Visit my Wardrobe Services and Contact Me! Subscribe to the HGG family so that you don’t miss a beat because I have a super sexy date night look coming next week. Plus you’ll receive a FREE STYLE GUIDE and other cool fashion insider perks. Until next time…Grab your Garb!

Style Tip of the day

When considering wearing stripes on stripes, if you want to create a clean, streamlined look, consider pairing your pieces with coordinating colors. Each piece should feature one similar color that cohesively makes the look appear as if the pieces were made for each other. You can also style stripes on stripes with more of an edgier approach with variating stripe size and colors.

Her Guiltless Garb

Jumpsuit: Agaci / Top: Zara / Shoes: Express (old, similar style here) / Earrings: Aldo (similar style here) / Belt (old, came with a dress. Similar style here) / Eyewear: lacedwithstyle.com